Rich, sweet, moist and yet completely free from flour and refined sugar, this Italian lemon and almond cake is a great way to end a meal. It is technically a cheesecake, but has very little in common with the heavy American versions. In Italy, most delis have their own version of ricotta. The most delicious one is made from sheep's milk–try it in this recipe, if you can find it. We often prepare the cake a day in advance. It makes it even creamier and enhances the flavors.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

　　1/2 cup organic butter

　　1/2 cup clear honey (preferably unheated)

　　Finely grated zest of 3 organic lemons

　　1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla powder or vanilla extract

　　4 eggs, separated

　　1 1/4 cups almond flour (or 1 1/4 cups almonds, blitzed into flour)

　　1 cup fine, organic GMO-free polenta

　　Generous 1 cup ricotta

　　1/2 cup flaked (slivered) almonds

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the base of an 8-inch springform tin with baking parchment and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Place the butter, half of the honey, the lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything until creamy. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat for a further minute. Add the almond flour, polenta and ricotta and fold everything together.

　　

Step 3

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until softly peaking in a separate bowl. Add the remaining honey and continue whisking until peaking again and well blended.

　　

Step 4

Slowly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The center of the cake might look slightly wobbly at first, but it will firm up when the cake cools down. Leave to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

　　Reprinted from Green Kitchen Travels: Healthy Vegetarian Food Inspired by Our Adventures, by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, Copyright © 2014, published by Hardie Grant Books.