Ricotta and almond cake; Lemon bars

Two very easy recipes you'll have on rotation best served with a cuppa – or as dessert.

Almond & ricotta cake Picture: Guy Bailey.

Thanks to the addition of ricotta, this almond cake is moist, soft and a little dense; more like a dessert cake than a tea cake. The lemon bars are best chilled overnight before serving.

Ricotta and almond cake

250g unsalted butter, diced and softened

220g (1 cup) caster sugar

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

6 free-range eggs, separated

250g fresh ricotta

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

220g ground almonds

75g (½ cup) self-raising flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

Icing sugar, for dusting

Whipped cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 160C (fan). Grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line base with baking paper. Place butter, sugar and lemon zest in an electric mixer and mix on medium speed 4-5 minutes until pale and creamy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Beat in ricotta, a little at a time; reduce speed, add vanilla, ground almonds, flour, baking powder, salt and lemon juice; mix until combined. Whisk egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form; carefully fold into mixture. Spoon into tin and smooth surface. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. (Cover cake with a piece of foil for the final 15 minutes if it starts to brown too much.) Cool in tin for 15 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream. Serves 10

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Lemon bars

Lemon bars

125g plain flour

60g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

2 teaspoons lemon zest

125g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1cm cubes

Pinch of flaked sea salt

40g flaked almonds, toasted

One egg yolk, for brushing

For the lemon curd topping

3 large eggs

6 egg yolks

250g caster sugar

¾ cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 medium lemons)

Pinch of flaked sea salt

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

100g unsalted butter, at room temp, cut into 1cm cubes

Preheat oven to 150C (fan). Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line base and sides with baking paper. Put flour, icing sugar, zest, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add almonds; blitz for a few seconds more. Transfer to tin and use your hands to press into an even layer to cover base. Bake 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven, brush with yolk; return to oven and bake 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the filling, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, lemon juice and zest in a medium saucepan until smooth. Over medium-low heat, stir continuously for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens and resembles custard (remove from heat if it looks like curdling or turning into scrambled eggs). Remove from heat, add butter; stir until melted and combined. Pour over base and gently shake tin to even out. Bake 15 minutes, or until set but wobbly in the centre. Cool at room temperature for an hour before refrigerating for at least four hours. Remove from tin, trim edges and dust with icing sugar. Makes 12

Digital subscribers can see more recipes at theaustralian.com.au/herbert-recipes
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