3 weeks ago
9
This cake is inspired by one my mum would make when I was little. I have fond memories of similar ones sitting on the bench cooling, my brother, sister and me just hovering. Not too sweet and studded with apples and almond flakes, it’s the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon coffee. The ricotta and olive oil keep it moist, too, which means it can sit, covered, on the bench and be sliced into as the days go by.
Ingredients
3 small Granny Smith apples (about 450g), peeled, cored and halved
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp demerara sugar
250g self-raising flour
100g almond meal
½ tsp fine sea salt
250g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
250g firm, full-fat ricotta
200ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
20g (¼ cup) flaked almonds
icing sugar, to serve
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 175C fan-forced (195C conventional). Grease and line a 23cm round baking tin. Cut the apples into 3mm-thick slices and place in a bowl with the lemon juice, cinnamon and demerara sugar. Toss to coat and set aside.
Step 2
Sift the flour into a medium bowl and stir in the almond meal and salt. Set aside.
Step 3
Place the caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the lemon into the sugar until it’s damp and fragrant. Add the eggs and whisk for about a minute until well combined and slightly pale.
Step 4
Add the ricotta, olive oil and vanilla. Whisk until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture’s fairly smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Don’t worry if some small ricotta lumps remain; they won’t affect the final cake.
Step 5
Add the flour and almond meal mixture and whisk gently until just combined. Fold half of the apple slices through the batter and spoon into the prepared tin. Press the remaining slices onto the surface of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds.
Step 6
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until golden and cooked through. You can check if the cake’s done by pressing gently on the surface – if it springs back, it’s ready. Or you can insert a skewer into the centre of the cake; it’s ready when it comes out clean. If the cake’s browning too quickly, turn the oven down a little or cover with tin foil (begin checking around the 45-minute mark). Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Step 7
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
This is an edited extract from Julia’s new book, Sundays Under the Lemon Tree ($25), which is out now.
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