OH HAAAY #CHEESEBABYSHOWER!
Some of you might already "know" Sarah of Snixy Kitchen, but if you don't... go check her out. Today is her virtual baby shower, since her #cheesebabygirl is due in a few weeks! If you know me at all you know 1) I love cheese, and 2) I love babies, so ... a #cheesebaby is pretty much the best thing I can imagine. (Backstory: Sarah's pregnancy cravings have been SUPER cheese-heavy, so she's been referring to the babe as her #cheesebaby! It seemed only fitting to make a bunch of cheesey recipes for her!)
I had a few ideas swirling around in my head, but I've really been hankering for a dense, moist, citrusy cake. ENTER: CANDIED CITRUS RICOTTA CAKE! This sucker is relatively simple to whip up, even with the candied citrus. Sure, they take a little time, but the actual effort is minimal. I used a combination of meyer lemons, tangerines, and blood oranges. I put lemon and tangerine juice/zest in the cake, and left the blood oranges to shine on top! YUM! I've been eating this with my lunch (or for my lunch?) all week and LOVING it. I'm actually kind of blown away by the moisture in this loaf — it's so moist, without being soggy or under-baked, I'm super impressed. GOOD JOB, RICOTTA!
As with all good baby showers, it's actually a huge party! Huge thanks to Alanna and Todd for organizing — check out everyone who contributed something:
Cheesy Things
- the briny - Smoky beans n' Greens Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potato and Sunflower Seed Cheese
- Half Baked Harvest - Greek Falafel Melts
- Healthy Nibbles & Bits - Japanese-Spiced Goat Cheese Ball with Pistachios
- Just Putzing Around the Kitchen - Cheesy Fried Spinach & Artichoke bites
- My Natural Kitchen - Brazilian Cheesy Thyme Popovers
- Vanilla And Bean - Almond-Sage Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Gruyere
- Fix Feast Flair - Mixed Greens Salad with Lilikoi Vinaigrette, Honey Macadamia Nuts, and Goat Cheese
- FoodieCrush - Cheesy Sausage Pizza bread
- Foodness Gracious - Avocado Feta bowl with Couscous Grilled Chicken and Charred Corn
- Will Frolic for Food - Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles
- Vegetarian 'Ventures - Pimento Mac & Cheese Bites
- MJ and Hungryman - Cheese Stuffed Kimchi Pancakes
- Savory Simple - Cheddar Chive Crackers
Sweet Things
- the pig + quill - Mini Vegan Pb+J Cheesecakes
- The Kitchen McCabe - Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes + Honeyed Chevre Whipped Cream
- The Little Epicurean - Matcha Mochi Waffles Sundae
- Shared Appetite - Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
- The Pancake Princess - Vegan Aquafaba Lemon Meringue Pie
- The Food Charlatan - Lemon bars {gluten-free}
- Kale & Caramel - Spiced Caramel Chocolate Nut Clusters
Cheesy & Sweet Things
- The Bojon Gourmet - Blood Orange & Corn Flour Ricotta Cake with Whipped Mascarpone {gluten-free}
- HonestlyYUM - Sweet Cheese Puffs (for a Sweet Cheese baby)
- fit for the soul - Queso Mais Ice cream {No-Churn}
- Completely Delicious - Chocolate Orange Ricotta Scones
- Good on Paper Design - Citrus Ricotta Mini Cakes {gluten-free}
- Floating Kitchen - No-Bake Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Layer {gluten-free}
- Hungry Girl por Vida - Gluten-Free Pretzel Goat Cheesecake Bites
- Heartbeet Kitchen - Roasted Citrus bowls with Honey Mascarpone
- Salted Plains - Pavlova with Mascarpone Coconut Cream and Candied Citrus
- le jus d'orange - White Cheddar and Apple Mini Pies with Cinnamon-Infused Honey
A huge huge huge congrats to Sarah and her husband! When I met Sarah last spring I was blown away by her spunk and energy — #cheesebabygirl is lucky to have such a cool mom! Big hugs to all three of you! xoxo
Print
Candied Citrus Ricotta Cake
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 tsp fresh citrus zest (I used a lemon/tangerine combo)
- 1 ½ cups ricotta
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp fresh citrus juice (again, I used a lemon/tangerine combo)
- For the Candied Citrus
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 cups sugar + extra for sprinkling
- 1 meyer lemon, sliced to ⅛" thick discs
- 1 tangerine, sliced to ⅛" thick discs
- 1 blood orange, sliced to ⅛" thick discs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a 9" loaf pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and citrus zests together with a mixer. When smooth, add the ricotta and again mix until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until homogenous.
- Mix in the citrus juice, then the flour mixture. Stir until combined, taking care not to over-mix.
- Pour into the prepared pan (you can line it with parchment, if desired), and bake for 50-60 minutes. I tented mine with foil at 45 minutes, and baked until 60 minutes (when the cake-tester came out clean). When it's done, let cool completely.
- While the cake is baking, you can make the candied citrus!
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, combine the water and sugar. Stir until combined, then add as many discs of citrus as you can in a single layer. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for 30-45 minutes. The rinds should become more transparent with time. At 45 minutes, or when the rinds are transparent, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Let them cool completely before proceeding, save the syrup leftover from the candying process.
- When the cake and the candied citrus have cooled, use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush the leftover syrup along the top of the cake, letting it sink in as much as possible. Layer the citrus over the top of the loaf, using extra syrup as glue.
- Serve at room temperature!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This cake is so gorgeous!! I love that candied citrus!
Mary says
Thanks, Katrina! Citrus never fails to impress me... I love it!
Elizabeth says
It looks so beautiful!!! I have some ricotta in the fridge that I didn't know what to do with. Now I do!!!! Thank you!!!
Mary says
Yessss! Use it for this!! Enjoy, Elizabeth! Xo
Alanna says
Omg, SO stunning Mary!!! I love these photos and this cake. Ricotta FTW! <3
Mary says
Thanks, Alanna!! Xoxo (and thanks for organizing a killer shower!)
CakePants says
This is a truly gorgeous cake! It looks so moist and flavorful, not to mention so, SO cheery with all that bright citrus on top!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
I'm seriously digging all of the gorgeous citrus on top of this loaf and I wish I were also eating it as my lunch every day this week. I'm so so glad I got to meet YOU in Portland earlier this year (when this lil' babe was just a teeny tiny bean!) and have since been so inspired by your spirit and all of your recipes. Thank you so much for making this virtual baby shower so delicious and giving me all the teary-eyed feels:) <3 I hope you come visit us in the bay soon and then you can meet this #cheesebabygirl in real life! (And bring me a slice of cake?).
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
I want to stuff my face with this cake!! I just LOOOVE all those beautiful slices of candied citrus on top!! Gorgeous cake, my friend!
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
This is so beautiful! A perfect bright spot in this cold, dreary winter!