fruit and booze...the food of the gods.

orange amaretto cake with strawberries

ingredients

topping:

1 pint fresh strawberries

1/2 c. sugar

amaretto to taste

cake:

1 1/2 c. cake flour*

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks butter, @ room temperature

3 large eggs

1 1/2 c. whole milk ricotta cheese

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of one orange

2-3 tbsp amaretto

method

preheat oven to 350.  grease a medium loaf pan with butter.

cap and quarter the strawberries.  place in a bowl, combine with 1/2 c. sugar and drizzle with amaretto, to taste.  cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

in a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, salt and baking powder.  in another bowl, cream together butter, ricotta, and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy like an angel cloud.  keeping the beater going, add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporated before adding the next.  then add zest, vanilla, and amaretto until just combined.  incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet one cup at a time, stirring gently until just incorporated (you want it to stay fluffy and delightful!)

pour into the buttered loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

to serve: let cake cool completely.  drizzle each slice with the macerated, drunken strawberries and dust with a little confectioner's sugar if you're feeling super classy.

let each bite of the cake melt on your tongue and feel like your transported up to mt. olympus to hang out with zeus, hera, and the whole gang.