Ricotta Poundcake

This is hands down my favorite poundcake! I can't say enough good things about it, except that it's so moist, rich in flavor, and just plain delicious! I've made it several times ever since I first saw the recipe in "Dolce Italiana" by Gina De Palma. Everyone who takes a bite of this always says the same thing, "OMG this is so good!"

The original version, which I made here, is vanilla based, and it's truely outstanding. I also make a Lemon flavored version replacing the vanilla with Limoncello and freshly grated lemon peel, and all I can say is "OMG it's so good too!"

I thought I'd bake a cake to celebrate Spring. Finally it's here in Chicagoland!! Doors and windows are open, birds chirping, dogs barking, kid's playing, people working in their gardens, and no sign of coats anywhere!!

INGREDIENTS:

Adapted from Gina's recipe

1 1/2 cups of cake flour

2 1/2 teapoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

3/4 cup or 6oz unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta ( mine wasn't whole milk & it turned out perfect)

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 vanilla bean ( I didn't have any at the time, and believe me it was just as good!)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract ( I added a little more because I didn't use a vanilla bean)

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and position rack in center. Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, bak powder, and salt, set aside. With your mixer cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 min's. Beat eggs in one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Split the vanilla bean, scrape out, and beat into the batter along with the extract. On low speed beat in the dry ingredients. Scrape down and beat for 30 seconds more.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth down with a spatula. Gently wack pan on counter to remove air pockets. Bake just for 15 min's, then turn pan 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Lower temp to 325 degrees F and bake till cake springs back lightly, the sides start to pull away, and when it comes out clean in the center, about 25 min's more.

Ok, here's a couple of things I noted. Depending on how wet your ricotta is you might have to bake it longer, so drain your ricotta for a while if it's very wet. This time I added an extra 15 min's to the time. One other time I made this, I added another 1/2 hour. So just watch it and keep testing for doneness. Cool on a wire rack, then invert, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.