Cranberry Lemon and Honey Ricotta Cake with Cranberry Jam

While I was out holiday shopping ('tis the season), I came across a premade Ricotta Cake that sounded just scrumptious. So I bought some ricotta cheese and decided to experiment with a recipe at home. I also bought a bag of big, juicy fresh cranberries because I thought they would be a lovely addition to the cake. 


I found a recipe online that I used as the basis for my Cranberry Lemon Ricotta Cake with Honey and Cranberry Jam. The original recipe for a Lemon Ricotta Cake is found at the following link: http://storybookwoods.typepad.com/storybook_woods/2009/03/lemon-ricotta-cake-w-strawberry-sauce.html . I made a couple of adjustments by adding a bit more flour, adding honey, and adding fresh cranberries. In addition, I also made a quick cranberry jam to top the cake. 


One note: If you don't want the cake to be as tart, try using frozen or dried cranberries. The dried berries especially will be much sweeter. Personally, I like a bit of tartness in the cake but that is simply my preference. 


The cake turned out to be a lovely sweet and tart mid day or night time treat. It's perfect with a cup of tea and a good book! 

Cranberry Lemon and Honey Ricotta Cake 


Ingredients

1 cup ricotta

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 T. Honey

3 eggs

1 T vanilla

the zest from one lemon

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

Directions


Preheat the oven to 325 F. 


Mix together ricotta, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, vanilla, and honey. In a small, separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture into the ricotta mixture, making sure to smooth out any lumps. Add the cranberries and gently fold through the batter. Pour batter into a greased 9" pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes clean, about 25-35 minutes. 

Cranberry Jam


Ingredients


1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 T. Honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. lemon or orange zest

Directions


In a small saucepan, mix all ingredients together and cook over medium-low heat. Allow the simmer gently until the cranberries fall apart and lose shape (about 20 minutes). Serve warm over the ricotta cake.