I THOUGHT I would give all you bakers out there something a little more complicated this time – an apple cake, made with ricotta.

I always do everything at high speed and this is one cake that I have to stop and think about so I don’t spoil it.

I over-ordered ricotta cheese a few months ago and struggled to find things to make with it, so I had a brainwave, I asked an Italian chef I know, and he gave me this recipe!

You will need a hand electric whisk for this or, if you are lucky, one on a stand, as well as a large bowl, scales, a nine-inch cake tin (preferably one with a loose bottom).

Margarine to grease your tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and sift flour over the whole tin. Pre-heat your oven to 350F/180C/GM4


Apple and ricotta cake

Ingredients

227g ricotta
3 large eating apples
Some fresh lemon juice
200g plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
3 large eggs separated
100g granulated sugar
Vanilla essence
Finely grated rind of one lemon (you use the juice above)
2 tablespoon granulated sugar (to be used before cake goes into oven)


Method

• Cut two of your apples into tiny cubes and put into your lemon juice so they don’t go brown, peel the third apple and slice into nice thin slices put this into lemon juice as well.

• Sift your flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, use two bowls to separate your eggs keeping the whites free of any yolk! Set whites aside and put the yolks and your 100g granulated sugar in a bowl and beat for over a minute until you get a thick creamy batter.

• Add to this batter your ricotta and lemon rind and vanilla. Now put into this your flour mixture and your chopped apples and stir, it will be a very stiff batter now.

• Beat your egg whites until nice and stiff, do this by starting always by beating on slow for about 10 seconds then put your mixer to high and beat for a further minute or two until you have nice stiff peaks.

• Fold this into your apple and flour batter and do this in three stages so you can carefully fold it in a little at a time.

• Put your batter into your tin and level off, put your slices apples on top of this batter pressing them in slightly, sprinkle over the whole cake your two tablespoons of sugar and place in your oven for approx 75 to 80 minutes.

• Put a skewer into centre of your cake to make sure it comes out clean. Leave cake in tin for a few minutes before turning out very carefully by pushing up your loose bottom.

• When you cut this cake it is very firm and almost like a baked cheesecake inside: that’s ok, it’s supposed to be like that! This cake will keep well in the fridge for up to three days but place in a box to stop it drying out. I hope that you enjoy it.

• To make the cake extra special, we glaze ours with some apricot jam boiled and then brushed on top of the apples once it has come out of the oven.

Here’s how: Buy a large jar of apricot jam, put it into a good sized pan and add about two tablespoons of water. Put pan on low heat and warm the jam carefully (please be aware that hot jam is very dangerous and sticks to the skin if splashes).

You do not want your jam to bubble madly so be careful. When the jam is nice and smooth, take the pan off the heat and carefully brush your hot jam over your apple-topped cake and leave to dry.

Anita Tasker runs Pattacakes, the café, tearoom and patisserie at Welburn, near Castle Howard.