In my baking era

Orange Ricotta Cake and a Seasonal Cocktail!

Hello and Happy Sunday :)

Baking… unlike cooking, is a precise science. Something I once thought was a skill you either had or you didn’t. Baking has been quite a learning curve. I am much more comfortable with the “throwing savory flavors in a pot” department. Through all of the mishaps that have come along the way, they have also been the most valuable teaching moments. Practice makes perfect.

Now, this might sound crazy but the science behind baking reminds me of the science behind meat. It’s temperamental. It’s all about getting the perfect texture on the outside, achieving the perfect moistness on the inside, all while getting it to your desired temperature. Miss one of those factors and you’re sitting there rolling your eyes wishing you could turn back time.

My goal for this year is to develop 1 baking recipe each month to share with you here. So for the 1st recipe of the year we are diving into citrus season with an Orange Curd Ricotta Cake. It’s light, sweet, tangy, and just the right amount of indulgent. This dessert is the perfect excuse to eat cake for breakfast.

Leave a comment of Desserts/Baked Goods recipes that you would like to see!

My Baking Necessities:

Thermometer: Especially when making caramels, candies and curds, a thermometer can be your best friend in the beginning. Rather than eyeballing it and crossing your fingers that something is in its correct “stage”, a thermometer takes out the guessing game. Technically there are specific sugar/baking thermometers. However, for the level of baking we will be dabbling in on this page, a meat thermometer works just fine!

Link to my Meat Thermometer

A Good Whisk: not all whisks are made equal! Having a well built whisk makes a huge difference

Link to my Good Whisk

Bench Scraper: I use this a lot in prep work but this is also the best tool for cutting dough.

Link to my Bench Scraper

Silicone Spatula: I think most of us have one of these laying around in our utensil drawer, but they are the superior tool for scraping the sides of bowls and folding in ingredients.

Silicon Spatula Link

Angled Icing Spatula: Not necessarily a necessity but it really does make frosting a cake so much easier than a butter knife.

Frosting Spatula Link

Stop and Pause for a Cocktail

To save on wasting egg whites(because yolks will be used) I also created an egg white cocktail. It is literally a dreamsicle in drink form.

If egg whites creep you out, grow up -they add zero taste to the cocktail. If you still don’t believe me, you can always use egg white drops or aqua faba (liquid from a chickpea can!).

Mandarin Almond Sour🍊🥃

Ingredients

• 2oz. Rye Whiskey

• 1 egg white

• .75 oz. Mandarin Juice

• .5 oz. Lemon Juice

• .5 oz. Orgeat Syrup (almond syrup)

• 2 dashes orange bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin. Dry shake (no ice) vigorously for 30 seconds. Add ice, shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Double strain into a martini/nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Okay on to the Brunch Cake/Dessert Recipe!

Orange Ricotta Olive Oil Cake

There are 3 components

• Homemade Orange Curd

• Ricotta-Olive Oil Cake

• Whipped Mascarpone Frosting