serves
8
prep
10 minutes
cook
45 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
8
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
45
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Lots of people ask me for this recipe, so I have finally copied it over from my scrappy kitchen notebook for you all to enjoy. One hot tip I have is not to turn this loaf cake upside down to cool, as you might lose some jam and ricotta with its sticky surface. And by ‘might’, I mean you definitely will – I’ve learnt this lesson the hard way!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 80 ml (1⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 120 g (4¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) full-cream (whole) milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 230 g (8¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 10 g (¼ oz) baking powder
- 120 g (4¼ oz) ricotta
- 160 g (5½ oz) jam, any flavour (raspberry or blueberry are my favourites)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced.
- Line a loaf tin with baking paper, allowing a little overhang for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder, then fold them in gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and gently shuffle the tin back and forth to smooth the surface. Spoon chunks of ricotta and jam over the top, then use a skewer or butter knife to gently swirl them through the batter, creating a marbled effect.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. You can serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze in slices for up to 3 months.
Easy Italian Dinners From My Little Kitchen by Melanie Lionello, photography by Mark Roper. (Murdoch Books $39.99.)
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
