Upside Down Apricot Ricotta Cake
This cake is crumbly, soft and has a delicious caramel that is formed from the brown sugar topping that is placed directly into the cake pan before adding the batter. The ricotta keeps it light and fluffy so you can eat multiple pieces without feeling dense 🙂 This recipe is an adaptation of something my Nonna used to make all the time. We always had fresh ricotta in the house and the applications are really endless. She used to take overripe fruits like plums or peaches to make an and delicious treat. Amidst testing this recipe I found adding a touch of milk alongside the ricotta gave it a smoother texture and fluffier cake.
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer/Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
- 4 tbsp Butter melted
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar packed
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 8-10 Fresh Apricots
Cake Batter
- 1 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Full-Fat Ricotta
- 1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 stick Butter room temperature
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 360 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 8 or 9 inch cake pan.
- Prepare the topping: in a bowl combine melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Mix until spreadable and pour into your prepared cake pan. Half the apricots and remove the pits. place cut side down, arranging in the pan however you like.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, make sure you do this for at least 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Fold in the ricotta until smooth. In the same bowl sift in your dry ingredients. I prefer to sift to ensure there are no lumps and the cake will bake evenly. Slowly add in the milk and do not overmix!
- Pour your batter on top of the apricots and spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes until set. When a toothpick comes out clean, it's ready!
Tips:
- Do not overmix your batter, this activates the glutens in the flour and will make the cake heavier and more dense.
- Make sure to cream your butter and sugar well. This is the most overlooked step in baking, you want the butter to be fluffy and sugar to be incorporated.
- You can substitute the flour for gluten free or almond flour.
Serves 10-12 depending on how large you cut the slices. Please comment and let me know if you try this recipe! Happy baking! Hope you all enjoy
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