Blood Orange Ricotta Almond Cake with Glossy Glaze

Blood orange rounds glow through a tender ricotta and almond cake, then a cream filling and a ruby glaze turn it into a showpiece dessert. Every slice shows a stacked, pale interior and a bright citrus perfume, with toasted almonds adding crunch on top and at the edges of each serving.

This Italian-style cake combines a light, grated ricotta batter with chopped almonds and blood orange slices arranged on the base of a springform pan.

The method is straightforward: you prepare the citrus and nuts, grate the cheese into fine shreds, mix a pale yellow batter, bake until the top turns golden, and then build the finished cake with a whipped cream layer and a glossy blood orange glaze.

The result has a moist, fine crumb, a clean citrus flavour and a striking colour contrast between the ruby glaze and the pale slices. It suits a family dessert, a celebration table or a spring brunch, and it can be finished on the day you plan to serve it.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Grated ricotta gives the batter a fine, moist crumb that stays tender without any extra butter. Because the cheese is shredded rather than blended, it blends into the eggs and sugar evenly and keeps the texture light enough for layering.

Placing the blood orange rounds directly on the base lets their juices soak gently into the batter as it bakes. The fruit stays bright and the almonds on top toast in the oven, so the cake gains flavour and crunch without a separate step.

Notes and substitutions

Blood oranges have a deep red flesh and a berry-like citrus flavour that works well with ricotta and almonds.

If they are not in season, navel oranges give a similar fresh flavour, and a spoonful of raspberry juice adds the same colour in the glaze. Choose firm fruit with unblemished skin so the rounds hold their shape during baking.

A 9-inch springform pan makes unmolding and slicing easy, and parchment on the base prevents the orange rounds from sticking.

A box grater with a fine side is useful for the cheese, and a sharp chef's knife keeps the almonds and the cake neat. An electric mixer speeds up whipping the cream and the eggs, but a hand whisk works if you take your time.

• whole-milk ricotta: part-skim ricotta, drained longer for a firmer batter
• heavy cream: whipped topping, thawed, for a lighter filling
• blood oranges: navel oranges with a spoonful of raspberry juice for colour

Equipment

• 9-inch springform pan
• parchment paper
• box grater
• chef's knife
• cutting board
• electric mixer
• fine-mesh sieve