Imagine a pleasantly warm and beautiful sunny (Sunday) afternoon. You’re sitting in the backyard or on the balcony, enjoying the warm weather. What would make the moment even better? Precisely, a piece of cake! That’s why we’re treating ourselves today to a piece of this nutty-fresh orange-pistachio cake with ricotta frosting.
Our Pistachio-Orange Cake with Ricotta Frosting Recipe
If it were up to us, we would eat cake every day. This versatile baked good simply makes everything better! At Scrumdiddlyumptious, we are especially fans of simple sponge cakes. They always turn out great and can be totally beginner-friendly. Today, we’re venturing into a pistachio cake with a fantastic twist. We’re infusing the cake with a citrus twist and topping off the elegant cake with a fresh and creamy orange-ricotta frosting. Sounds delicious? Then let’s get started!
First, prepare everything for the batter, so that you can easily and quickly whip it up. It can be particularly helpful to weigh and prepare everything in advance. Additionally, you can already zest an orange and grind the pistachios in a mixer before working your way through the instructions.
Once ready start by rubbing the sugar with the orange zest between your fingers so that the full citrus aroma of the orange can bloom. Now beat it together with soft butter until fluffy before gradually adding the eggs. Then mix in the dry ingredients and finally the ricotta until a smooth batter is formed. Now, bake the cake for 45 minutes.
Before you start with the frosting, keep in mind that the cake needs to be completely cooled before you ice it. Of course, you can always make the icing in advance and simply refrigerate it. For the frosting, mix the butter, powdered sugar, ricotta, orange juice, and orange zest together. Once the cake and frosting are ready, spread it evenly on the cake and finally sprinkle with a few chopped pistachios. Happy snacking!
If you are looking for make cake inspiration, try other such recipes as our apple pudding cake bars, Fanta cake with strawberries, and no-bake pineapple cheesecake.
Orange-Pistachio Cake with Ricotta Frosting
Equipment
- 1 (9-in.) springform pan
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ⅔ cup butter softened (& a little extra for greasing the pan)
- 1 organic orange
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1⅓ cups almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 organic orange
- ⅔ cup ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (conventional) or 325°F (convection). Grease a cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Zest the orange and place it in a bowl with the sugar. Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers to release its aroma.
- Add the butter and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy for several minutes using a hand mixer.
- Add the eggs gradually, beating until well combined.
- Finely grind ¾ cup of pistachios in a mixer or chop them finely.
- In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the ricotta until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Test for doneness using a toothpick. Once ready, let the cake cool in the pan for a bit before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat the butter in a bowl until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and then beat until well combined and smooth.
- Zest the orange again and juice it. Add about 1 teaspoon of orange zest and 2-3 tablespoons of orange juice, along with the ricotta, to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the orange-ricotta frosting evenly on it.
- Chop the remaining pistachios and garnish the cake with them.