An easy cake

Everyone needs a cake that's quick and easy to throw together for last-minute entertaining, or to impress a significant other. This one fits the bill: all you need is a whisk, a spatula, a few bowls, a loaf pan, and pantry ingredients, except for the ricotta, which isn't too hard to find. (But if you plan ahead, you can go to Whole Foods and pick up some Calabro ricotta, which is the best available in a grocery store, or, better yet, make some at home, which I've done a few times with varying degrees of success.)

Rachel Roddy says this cake, which is the only one she makes regularly (usually once a week), is simple and "accommodating too, as comfortable on a breakfast table as it is . . . with a glass of sweet wine after dinner." We seem to agree, as Cassie saw this cake on the island first thing when she came down this morning and had two pieces for breakfast, then we all had some for a midafternoon snack and again after dinner.

Lemon Ricotta Cake with Olive Oil

Adapted from My Kitchen in Rome (2016) by Rachel Roddy and The Guardian

The recipe says you can make this cake in a ring or Bundt pan about 9 inches in diameter or in a standard 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. I used a 12-cup Bundt pan, which makes for a shorter cake. The specified loaf pan holds 8 cups, which means I should also be able to make it in my nice 8-cup kugelhopf pan, which I'll try next time.

Dry ingredients
250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet ingredients
212 grams (1 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
250 grams (1 cup) ricotta (whole milk)
150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
grated zest of 2 lemons

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan, an 8-cup kugelhopf pan, or a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. (You may want to grease and flour the pan if the one you're using does not have a nonstick coating.)
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 
    3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, ricotta, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Grate the zest into the bowl, then whisk again. The mixture should be thick and smooth.
    4. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix.
    5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out a bit with the spatula if necessary. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes in a Bundt or kugelhopf pan or 35 to 40 minutes in a loaf pan. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.