richie rich-otta

I'm in a snack cake frenzy, folks!

The dessert that kicked off this obsession was a plum cake from David Lebovitz. It's no coincidence that this tasty treat also contains plums, as the first cake was so good, I got more plums and set them aside for dessert purposes only. Since ricotta cheese is also a current staple in my fridge, I was delighted to find a very attractive cake recipe making use of both ricotta and fresh fruit.

This cake has a texture unlike any you've ever tried. It's moist and rich yet light, which is essentially the threesome that makes a cake the end-all, be-all for me. Bonus: No mixer required. Just mix your dry ingredients, mix your wet ingredients, combine them, gently add the fruit, and bake away. You don't need frosting, icing, glaze, or powdered sugar; ice cream and whipped cream, though always welcome accompaniments to cake, aren't necessary either.

Future adjustments: I meant to add lemon zest to the batter but completely forgot and ended up just sprinkling it onto the top. I think it'd be great on the inside. I also intend to add more fruit to the next cake--there wasn't quite enough in this one!

Pretty Plum Ricotta Cake
Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit
(printable recipe)

Serves 8
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 4 plums, pitted and cut into chunks, divided use

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended.
Then fold in butter, followed by 3/4 of the plum chunks.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining fruit over the top.
Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.