Blood Orange, Ricotta, Almond Cake (Gluten Free)

I first spotted this lovely cake on Liz Prueitt's Instagram. She wrote out the recipe in the photo's description; the recipe is adapted from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook. I meant to try the cake soon after I saw the photo, and then blood orange season came and went, and time does what it does.

I stumbled on some particularly good blood oranges this week, and the weather suddenly became sunny and warm. I've been watching the Great British Baking Show and have been itching to bake something; the stars aligned. I researched a few cake recipes before I remembered Prueitt's. A short search revealed that the recipe had been written up on the always wonderful SmittenKitchen (thank you).

I found a lot of blood orange cakes that involved flour and cornmeal - they all looked a little dense and dry. Unlike most of the others, this one involves no flour and also adds ricotta. I liked that it sounded like a cheesecake, and I always like to have more gluten free recipes in the arsenal (many clients and friends have intolerances). The trickiest part of this cake is folding egg whites into the batter; but that shouldn't deter you from trying - when in doubt, don't overmix.

This cake is glossy and shiny and pretty with the multi-colored stunning blood oranges. The brown sugar that candies the orange takes away any bitterness from the pith, and adds a welcome caramel note to the cake. The cake is cheesecake-like, but not too dense. The cornmeal adds a toothsome note. There's really not much to change in the original recipe, and the only thing I did different than both Liz and SK is that I combined both lemon and orange zest into the better, and lemon and orange juice into the batter.

This cake is one of those cakes that tastes even better than it looks.

Blood Orange, Ricotta, Almond Cake (via Liz Prueitt and SmittenKitchen)

2 blood oranges
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoons water
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 oz) softened unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 cup packed finely ground almond flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup citrus juice (orange + lemon)
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon table salt
apricot jam (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a 9" cake pan and line it with parchment.

In a bowl combine the brown sugar and water. Add it to the bottom of the cake tin. Thinly slice a blood orange. Line the bottom of the tin with orange slices.

In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time. Mix in the almond flour and cornmeal. Mix in the ricotta. Zest 1 orange and 1 lemon. Juice the citrus until you have a 1/3 cup's worth of juice. Add the zest and juice to the batter, and mix.

Beat the egg whites with salt until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center comes out clean when tested with a skewer/toothpick.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes (it will start to naturally pull away from the sides), then flip it onto a platter and allow it to fully cool prior to serving.

If you want it extra glossy, heat up some apricot jam and brush it over the cake while it's still warm. 

Keeps well in the fridge (if you have any leftover :)

Citrus, Pomegranate and Mint Salad

While it is still technically winter, Southern California is abundant with great fruit and vegetables right now. Citrus is in its prime and there are countless varieties available at local farmers’ markets. Everything from Murcat mandarins, to Meyer lemons, to Kaffir limes, to kumquats, to tangerines, to pomelos are in season. I am particularly in love with the soft pink-colored-not-too-sweet Cara Cara oranges, and the deep red floral and slightly bitter blood oranges.

This Sunday night marks the beginning of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish new year for trees. While there aren’t too many customs and rules associated with the holiday, many Jews celebrate with a Tu B’Shevat seder and by planting trees. Some folks celebrate by eating as many as 15 different varieties of fruits and vegetables for the holiday.

This salad is meant to celebrate the fruit that is in season now, and here during Tu B’Shevat. The recipe calls for both Cara Cara and blood oranges, but you can pick any of your favorite varieties of citrus (you could even add more than 3 varieties of citrus). The idea is to pile up the citrus fruit on top of your favorite lettuce or greens, cover it with a layer of sweet and tart pomegranate seeds, good quality feta cheese, lots of bright fresh mint, and a drizzle of tangy pomegranate molasses vinaigrette. Pomegranate molasses is simply reduced/concentrated pomegranate juice. If you don’t have pomegranate molasses you can dress this salad with a simple combination of lemon juice and olive oil.

Enjoy!

Tu B’Shevat Citrus, Pomegranate, and Mint Salad

Serves 4-6 (recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed)

for the salad-

1 small head of lettuce, your favorite variety (Speckled, Romaine,Little Gem)

2 small Cara Cara oranges (or any available orange)

1 small blood orange (or any available orange)

2 tangerines

½ cup feta cheese, cubed small or crumbled

⅓ cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

for the dressing-

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Start by removing the peel and outer membrane from all of the citrus. Slice off the very top and bottom of the fruit. Next, cut the peel and outer membrane away from the flesh by standing the fruit on its bottom and carefully run the knife alongside the fruit, cutting away the peel one section at a time. Once you have cut away the peel, slice the citrus into half inch rounds. Alternatively, you can also fully supreme the fruit.

Lay the lettuce leaves down into your serving platter or bowl. If using large leaves of lettuce, slice the lettuce into smaller pieces. Lay the fruit on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. Season with a pinch of salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, honey and salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust according to your liking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.