Torta Di Ricotta E Polenta

Green Kitchen Travels cookbook|Oct. 1, 2014 9:32 am EST

4 (1 ratings)

Rich, sweet, moist and yet completely free from flour and refined sugar, this Italian lemon and almond cake is a great way to end a meal. It is technically a cheesecake, but has very little in common with the heavy American versions. In Italy, most delis have their own version of ricotta. The most delicious one is made from sheep’s’ milk – try it in this recipe, if you can find it. We often prepare the cake a day in advance. It makes it even creamier and enhances the flavors. — Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl Click Here to See More Dessert Recipes

Servings

8

Ingredients

1 cup organic butter
1 cup clear honey (preferably unheated)
finely grated zest of 3 organic lemons
½ teaspoon ground vanilla powder or vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
1¼ teaspoon almond flour (or 1¼ cups) almonds, blitzed into flour)
1 cup fine, organic gmo-free polenta
1 cup ricotta
½ cup slivered almonds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line the base of an 8-inch springform tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the butter, half of the honey, the lemon zest, and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything until creamy. Add the egg yolks and continue
to beat for a further minute. Add the almond flour, polenta and ricotta and fold everything together. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they reach soft peaks. Add the remaining honey and continue whisking until they reach soft peaks again and it is well blended.
Slowly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the slivered almonds evenly over the top. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The center of the cake might look slightly wobbly at first, but it will firm up when the cake cools down. Leave to cool completely before removing it from the tin.