Happy Holidays ladies!
Alright. The truth is, I had a good amount of leftover Ricotta after making these Ricotta-Cranberry Cocktail Bites. Not being one to waste food – I racked my brain for something delicious that would be versatile, festive and of course super deelish for the holidays!
This rustic Orange & Raspberry Ricotta Cake, hits the mark. Gluten-Free, and Sugar-Free, it’s key ingredients include Almond & Coconut Flour, Ricotta, Orange Zest & Fresh Raspberries for an incredibly moist, fresh, citrusy holiday treat.
I used Coconut Oil instead of Butter, for a very subtle coconut note. If preferred, you can totally use butter instead. It’s an easy 1:1 swap!
Dessert, Brunch or While Opening Gifts!
Because it’s not overly sweet and isn’t frosted – this cake is truly versatile. It works perfectly well as a Dessert, Brunch Bread or with coffee while opening gifts Christmas morning. Chez Pelly – that’s how we roll. We have Peppermint Mocha Lattes and a piece of brunch bread while opening gifts. It’s our tradition 
EASY to Make – Even Easier to “Make it Fancy”
I’m NOT into complicated recipes with a million steps & off-the-wall ingredients. I’m just not that patient. My MO is to work with simple, high-quality, healthy ingredients – in straight-forward recipes that are hassle-free and fairly quick to make.
This festive cake falls into that category. Place Wet Ingredients into a large bowl, Dry Ingredients into a medium bowl. Add dry to wet in thirds – mixing in between each addition. Pour into an 8×8 cake pan & bake. Voila.
Make it Fancy
The devil’s in the details. Many times, the difference between ordinary & extra-ordinary is usually a couple of very small tweaks that can completely elevate a dish.
Here, I simply placed the cake on an elevated cake stand, and topped it with a few fresh raspberries to immediately elevate the look. You can also add a twist of orange peel alongside the raspberries for beautiful color – and to visually signal the flavors of the cake.
Simple, approachable elegance. I used this 10″ cake stand to elevate the look. Inexpensive on Amazon – click the image to see it.
ORANGE RASPBERRY & Ricotta Holiday Cake (Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup coconut oil, in solid form (not melted). **If you prefer butter, it’s still 1/2 cup, softened**
- ½ cup Erythritol or Xylitol sugar-substitute
- 4 eggs, large
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325-degrees. Spray an 8×8″ cake pan with cooking spray, including sides. Then line the bottom with parchment paper. We want to avoid a sticky situation.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, Salt & Baking Powder. Give it a quick whisk & set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the coconut oil, vanilla & Erythritol (sugar substitute). Beat with your hand mixer until it’s lighter & fluffier.
- Next, add ricotta, orange zest, orange juice and 1 egg. Beat to incorporate (about 1 minute).
- Add dry ingredients & remaining 3 eggs, in thirds: Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1 egg to the wet. Mix until incorporated. Add the next 1/3 and another egg. Mix again. Now the final 1/3 and last egg. Mix.
- Fold in the fresh raspberries. Pour into prepared pan, spread to make it even.
- Bake 50-minutes. Remove. Allow to cool in the pan 15-minutes. Turn onto wire rack to continue cooling. That’s it!!
To serve
- Sprinkle each slice with a few fresh raspberries. I personally like to dress each piece with a small dollop of whipped cream, fresh raspberries & twist of orange peel – just because it’s pretty and festive ;-).
