This is another of those recipes that I instantly fell in love with and made multiple times, only to realise belatedly that I hadn’t bothered to post about it.  By belatedly I mean that I just checked Instagram, and I originally posted a pic and gushed over it about <gulp> 18 weeks ago…

The original recipe took its inspiration from cannoli filling, and I while I loved it, my thoughts went straight to the idea of boosting the citrus by adding glacé citron to the orange zest (which I also love in cassata).  Citron isn’t always easy to find, but glacé orange is also lovely, and is one of those things you might have in the pantry after Christmas…

The result is a moist and slightly crumbly cake, as you can see above, but it lasts very well.  The first I made was for a work morning tea and so was inhaled in about 5 minutes, but later ones lasted for about five days.  I’ve also doubled the recipe with no problems.  If you really don’t like glacé citrus, or pistachios, you could easily substitute other fruit and nuts – I think toasted slivered almonds and glacé cherries or apricots for example, would be wonderful, and in fact I might try that next time…

Ricotta, chocolate and glacé citron pound cake

adapted very slightly from Smitten Kitchen’s Cannoli Pound Cake

200 g brown sugar
Finely grated zest from 1 large orange
120 ml olive oil
30 ml marsala
250 grams full cream ricotta
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
190 g plain flour
120 g mini choc chips or finely chopped dark chocolate
60 g finely chopped glacé citron or orange
60 g finely chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 180C and line a 23x13cm (9×5”) loaf tin with baking paper.  Whisk together brown sugar, zest, olive oil, and marsala, add ricotta and eggs, and whisk together until well combined – don’t worry about the odd lump.

Stir together baking powder, salt, spices and flour, then add to the wet ingredients and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Fold in chocolate, citron and pistachios.  Scrape into the lined tin, and bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  If you use a smaller or deeper tin it may take longer, but I usually still test at the earliest time, and then check every 5 min until done.

When cooked, cool tin on a rack for about 15 minutes, before removing carefully (I use the baking paper as handles) to the rack until completely cold.  Try not to cut while warm – it’s tempting I know, but it will fall to pieces!

One year ago: Pasties

For the other side of the world

Eighteen months ago: German coffee cake