Cranberry Orangecello Ricotta Cake
Inspired by the brightest time in winter, citrus season, I planned to create a breakfast-style cranberry orange bread using Hotel Tango Orangecello Liquor. Then I got the brilliant idea to add ricotta. I'm so glad I did. I have no words for how luscious this cake is. It is incredibly moist, intensely flavorful, and bright. It is so good!
Adding ricotta to this recipe elevates this from a regular breakfast bread to a moist, fluffy cake that I happily ate for breakfast. Orange cake is okay, but it's not as delicious as lemon cake or even banana bread (I have a fantastic Sour Cream Banana Bread in my cookbook, Staples +5). Orange bread is a bit one-note, so cranberries add flavor and balance. The tartness of cranberries with the sweetness of orange is the perfect marriage. Ricotta softens the orange flavor and provides intense moisture. It took this recipe from a breakfast-style bread to full-on cake.
I'm a big fan of dried cranberries, and I often add them to cookies, loaves of bread, and salads. I'm an even bigger fan of reconstituting them with liquor. Thank you, Hotel Tango! Orangecello liquor was perfect for adding dried cranberries to this bread. The Hotel Tango Orangecello Liquor enhances the cranberries and adds a little extra oomph to cranberry orangecello ricotta cake to act as an extract. You can actually taste the alcohol in this recipe, but don't worry. It's fully cooked out. Consider leaving it out of the glaze if you plan to serve this to anyone under 21 years of age.
When making cranberry orangecello ricotta cake, be sure to get the creamed mixture nice and fluffy. Don't be afraid to let your mixer go for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed. That air whipped into the cream mixture results in a light and soft cake. Add the extracts and flavoring immediately after to allow them to start perfuming the batter. The most pivotal step is to alternate between flour and eggs. Following these steps exactly will enable you to mix the ingredients thoroughly without overmixing the batter. An overmixed batter often results in a dense, tough cake.
Dried cranberries are heavier than fresh ones, so it's easy for them to fall to the bottom of the pan once you've poured in the batter. The light dusting of flour in this recipe helps distribute them evenly throughout the bread without all of them sinking to the bottom.
I've made it pretty clear by now that my favorite vessel to cook things in is cast iron. Whenever I use my Lodge Cast Iron Loaf Pan, I feel so fancy, but you can use any metal loaf pan and pull off a delicious cake.
Since my original goal was breakfast-style bread, I was hoping to give an option to turn this into muffins, but I don't recommend it now. In my opinion, Cranberry Orangecello Ricotta cake is a bit too heavy for a traditional muffin. This recipe belongs in a loaf pan or an 8 to 9-inch round cake pan. Then served sliced for breakfast with coffee or after dinner with a nightcap.
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