Fresh Fig & Ricotta Cake

By Ellen Fruchtman, President 

This Fig and Ricotta masterpiece is right out of the brand-new Ina Garten cookbook, Cook Like A Pro, just hitting the stands. We’d love to share it with you as a sneak peek. Or as Ina always says, “How easy is that?”. Get the recipe here.

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup fresh whole milk ricotta, at room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 large (or 12 medium) fresh figs, stems removed, quartered through the stem

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw

Crème fraîche, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round springform pan, tapping out the excess flour.

Place the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing until smooth. Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest and mix until combined. Don’t worry; the ricotta will make it look lumpy.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the figs on the cake, cut sides up, in snug but not -overlapping concentric circles. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a baking rack for 15 to 20 minutes, transfer to a cake plate, and serve warm with crème fraîche on the side.