Step 1Preheat oven to 170°C (140°C Fan) mark 3. Grease and line an 8 inch cake tin.
Step 2In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in ricotta, followed by the ground almonds, until fully combined.
Step 3In a separate clean bowl, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold into the ricotta mixture in batches, taking care not to knock out too much air. Pour batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.
Step 4Bake for 50min, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean – or until there is no jiggle.
Step 5Meanwhile, make the poached apricots. Put 250ml water, sugar, vanilla and wine into a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add apricots, turn down to a low heat so it isn’t bubbling, then cover with a lid or cartouche. Poach for 20min or until tender and slightly translucent. Take off the heat and let them sit in their hot syrup to continue gentle cooking.
Step 6For the whipped ricotta cream, whisk ricotta, double cream and icing sugar together until thickened and smooth. Meanwhile, on a medium heat reduce some of the poaching liquor to a thickened syrup.
Step 7Serve slices of cake topped with whipped ricotta cream, poached apricots and a drizzle of syrup.
GH tips:
Reduce some of the apricot syrup to drizzle over the cake.
If the cake is beginning to brown too quickly just cover it loosely with foil towards the end of baking.
Poach more apricots and enjoy on yogurt or as a sweet snack.
You can use any white wine – just adjust the sugar levels depending on the sweetness.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
Frankie is the Junior Food Content Producer, developing, testing and refining recipes, as well as creating fun, educational content across the GH Kitchen’s print and digital platforms. While studying Communications and Media, her passion for bringing people together through food quickly found its place in the kitchen, leading to a career shaped by hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. Now, she brings that same energy and creativity into the world of food publishing. Previously, Frankie trained as both a baker and chef at Landrace Bakery and Upstairs restaurant in Bath, Somerset. She has also worked as a freelance assistant food stylist and private chef in London, combining a love of beautiful presentation with flavour-led, seasonal cooking.
