Learn how to make this divine apple honey and ricotta cake. It's healthy, delicious, and subtly sweet with bursts of tangy apple and pockets of ricotta. This is a gluten-free cake with no added refined sugar so it has a subtle sweetness from honey and apples. It's great with vanilla ice cream on the side. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond meal 95 grams
- 1 cup gluten-free flour 125 g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup honey about 125 grams, you can use less for even more subtle sweetness
- 2 large apples large or 3 smaller ones
- 1/2 lemon juice of
- 2 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, cut into cubes, about 120 grams, melted
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese about 120 grams
- 1 tbsp honey extra for drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven & prepare cake pan. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line a 9-inch or 8-inch round springform cake pan with baking or parchment paper. I usually grease the bottom and sides liberally with butter but only line the bottom of the springform pan.
- Prepare butter. Cut the butter into large cubes and add to a bowl. Melt in a microwave on high for 1 minute (cover with a lid) OR you can do this on a stovetop. Only get it warm enough to melt most of the butter, then let it stand off the heat for the remaining butter to melt. Set aside to cool down slightly before mixing in with other ingredients.
- Prepare apples. Peel two large apples and cut them into quarters, remove the core. Cut one and half apples into cubes and cut the remaining half of the apple into thin wedges for the top of the cake. Drizzle the juice of 1/2 lemon over the cubes in a bowl and toss through. Drizzle a little over the wedges as well. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Mix through breaking up any lumps.
- Mix wet ingredients.In a separate bowl, add eggs, melted butter, honey and vanilla. Whisk briefly just to break up the egg yolks and incorporate the ingredients.
- Combine cake batter. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until combined – but be careful not to over-mix. Then add the chopped apples and ricotta and fold through gently.
- Transfer batter to cake pan. Once ricotta and apple are added (which are cold), the batter will stiffen slightly. Don't worry, everything will melt and settle inside the pan once baking! Spoon this thick batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly with a spoon. Drizzle the top of the cake with a little more honey and gently press the apple wedges into the top of the cake.
- Bake cake. Place the cake into the preheated oven, middle shelf, for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a bamboo skewer to check if the cake is done. Insert it in the middle part of the cake and if it comes down clean, it's done. Remember, the cake will continue to cook slightly while cooling down out of the oven.
- Cool cake. Leave the cake in the pan to cool down for at least 15-20 minutes before removing. I know it's tempting to get into it while it's warm but you need to give it a chance to settle, so to speak.
Notes
Want to make it dairy-free? Change up butter for coconut oil and ricotta for coconut cream or coconut yoghurt. If you're looking for grain-free, dairy-free version, try this paleo apple cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 2mg
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