The apple and ricotta cake is a truly delicious apple dessert. It is well known that apple cakes are all good and their aroma brings us back to our childhood. However, this cake is particularly good: the batter with ricotta makes it soft, moist, and pleasant to the palate. If you are looking for a light apple cake without butter, you absolutely must try this recipe.
The apple and ricotta cake is a good and genuine breakfast or snack dessert. It is perfect at any time of the day and also very easy to prepare. To prepare it, you will need a bowl and electric beaters. If you want to prepare it with the Thermomix, I will provide the procedure for making the apple and ricotta cake with Thermomix at the end of the recipe.
You can customize the recipe as you like: you can use cinnamon, lemon or orange zest, or vanilla. You can also enrich the batter with raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts. The result will be even more special.
Now let’s see the recipe for the apple and ricotta cake, but first, I’ll leave you some links to my favorite cakes, which I recommend you try!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Low Cost
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 291.58 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 43.56 (g) of which sugars 24.64 (g)
- Proteins 7.99 (g)
- Fat 10.65 (g) of which saturated 3.03 (g)of which unsaturated 7.02 (g)
- Fibers 1.04 (g)
- Sodium 49.51 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 122 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Apple and Ricotta Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 200 g ricotta
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- to taste lemon zest (grated)
- 1 packet baking powder
- 3 Golden apples
- to taste powdered sugar
- to taste lemon juice
Tools for Making Apple and Ricotta Cake
- Electric Beaters
- Cake Tin 9.5 inches
- Knife
- Apple Corer
- Lemon Zester
Steps for Making Apple and Ricotta Cake without Butter
Let’s look together at the recipe of the delicious apple and ricotta cake without butter, with a soft and moist crumb that will win you over!
Before starting the preparation of the cake, take out the eggs. This way you will use them at room temperature.
Cut one apple into cubes and place it in a bowl with a few drops of lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Cut the other two apples into slices and put them in another bowl. Drizzle them with lemon juice, mix quickly and set aside.
In a bowl, put the room temperature eggs and sugar. Beat with electric beaters at maximum speed until you obtain a light and frothy mixture. It will take about 5 minutes.
Wash a lemon well (preferably organic) and grate the peel into the bowl. Also add the oil and mix with the electric beaters.
Gradually add the ricotta and blend it well with the beaters into the other ingredients.
Gradually add the sifted flour and baking powder as well. You will get a thick and creamy batter.
Add the diced apple to the mixture and mix with a spatula to distribute it evenly in the batter.
Take a 9.5-inch diameter cake tin with a removable base, cover the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper and butter the sides.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and level the surface with the spatula.
Arrange the apple slices on the surface in a radial pattern or concentric circles. Sprinkle the slices with a little granulated or brown sugar.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Cooking time is always relative. Always adjust to your oven. After the first 45 minutes, do the toothpick test: insert it into the center of the cake and if it is wet, cover the apple and ricotta cake with aluminum foil and continue cooking for a few more minutes. If, on the other hand, the toothpick is dry, turn off the oven and let the cake cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
Once cool, remove it from the mold and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
You can prepare the apple and ricotta cake with the Thermomix. Let’s see the procedure together.
Place the lemon peel in the bowl and 2 spoonfuls of sugar taken from the total: 10 sec. speed 10. Gather at the bottom with the spatula.
Mount the butterfly in the bowl. Add the rest of the sugar and eggs: work 5 min 98°F speed 4-5.
Remove the butterfly and with the blades in motion at speed 4-5, add the oil, ricotta by spoonfuls, and finally the sifted flour and baking powder from the lid hole.
Add the diced apple with a little lemon juice: 30 sec. reverse speed Soft.
Butter and flour a 9.5-inch diameter cake tin, pour the batter, and level the surface with a spatula.
Arrange the sliced apples on the surface and sprinkle them with a little granulated or brown sugar.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Always do the toothpick test before taking the cake out of the oven. If the toothpick is wet, cover the cake with aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes.
When ready, let it cool in the turned-off oven with the door slightly open. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Storage and Variations
– The apple and ricotta cake keeps at room temperature for about 2 days under a cake dome or in a well-sealed container to prevent it from drying out. If it’s hot, I recommend keeping it in the fridge to prevent the apples from molding. Take it out a few minutes before enjoying it or warm it up a few seconds in the microwave.
– You can replace the lemon peel with orange peel, vanilla, or cinnamon.
– You can enrich the batter with some nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What type of ricotta is best to use?
You can use cow’s milk ricotta or sheep’s milk ricotta. You can also use lactose-free ricotta. The key factor is that it is well-drained. Ricotta from the day before would be ideal.
Is the amount of sugar in this cake too much for 1 1/2 cups of flour?
No. With this amount of sugar, you will have a not too sweet cake. It is important to consider that it’s not only the flour that adds volume to a cake, but there are also eggs and ricotta.
If I don’t have Golden apples, what can I use?
You can use any apples you prefer. The best apples are Golden, Renette, and Fuji, but you can use what you have at home. The result won’t differ much.
Can the apple and ricotta cake be frozen?
Yes, cut it into slices and wrap each slice in a bit of plastic wrap. It defrosts perfectly at room temperature.
Can I make an apple cake without sugar?
Yes, you can replace the 160 g of sugar with 120 g of honey or 190 g of erythritol
Can I replace ricotta with another cheese?
Yes, you can replace it with 200 g of full-fat Greek yogurt, 200 g of cream cheese like Philadelphia, 150 g of mascarpone + 50 ml of milk, or 200 g of vegetable or soy ricotta.
