Orange Ricotta Poundcake

 Years ago, I came across this Giada DeLaurentiis recipe and just fell in love with it. It was around Christmas time, so in my mind I always associate this with the holidays and it gets added to the list of holiday baked goods I make either for our family or as a home-made gift for others. But, it's also perfect for anytime! This is perfect for when you have company over for coffee or tea and want to serve something special, but not super sweet.

The ricotta adds a spongy-ness and rich flavor that meshes so well with the orange zest.  Giada's original recipe calls for Amaretto - which I never seem to have on hand - but I use almond extract and I think it works just as well.  Alone, it is sweet enough for me and my family, but an orange glaze or simply a sprinkling of powdered sugar could add a special touch!

ORANGE RICOTTA POUNDCAKE

serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ sticks of unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 tsp almond extract (or if you have amaretto, 2 tablespoons)
• 1½ cups cake flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• optional: strawberries and powdered sugar (to add at the end)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
2.  In a stand mixer or separate bowl with a handheld mixer, mix the butter, ricotta cheese and sugar together.
3. Add eggs, one at a time.  Add the vanilla, almond extracts and orange zest.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
5. Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the batter has pulled away from sides of the pan.  In my oven, this needed to bake on the longer side.  My first batch was still jiggly in the middle after 50 minutes!
6. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.  Enjoy alone or with fresh strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar on top!

thanks to Giada DeLaurentiis and the Food Network for this wonderful recipe