Mini Cakes with Cashew Ricotta

Free

Difficulty: Low
Time: 15 minutes (plus baking time and preparation of the ricotta)
Quantity: 18 mini cakes
Type: Snacks and Small Pastries
Dietary requirements: Cream-free Vegan

Ingredients

320 g cashew ricotta

100 g granulated sugar

80 g plant-based milk

60 g seed oil

190 g all-purpose flour

30 g potato starch

9 g baking powder

1 vanilla bean

These soft little cakes have a distinctive flavor given by the cashew ricotta, which also makes them so tasty and tender. They remain a creamy white color, very delicate. Perfect for an afternoon snack with hot tea or served with a chocolate sauce for which you can find the recipe here. First of all, prepare the cashew ricotta, the recipe for which you can find here. For these cakes you will need about one ricotta round, so half the recipe.

Method

Preheat the oven to 170˚C static and prepare a baking tray with the silicone mold. Take a pitcher and place a piping bag inside; this will be used to pour the batter inside. In a bowl weigh the ricotta and the granulated sugar. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and with the tip of a knife scrape out the seeds by running the blade along the pod. Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl. Mix with a spatula.

Weigh the milk and oil together, while in another bowl weigh the dry ingredients: flour, starch, baking powder. Add the milk and oil to the batter.

Mix with a whisk. Then sift the dry ingredients into the bowl.

Mix until you obtain a smooth, lump-free batter. Transfer into a piping bag and take the mold.

Fill each cavity with about 40 g; if instead you want to fill the entire mold and have taller cakes fill with about 60 g. Bake in a static oven at 170˚C for 15 minutes (if you pour 40 g, otherwise a few more minutes will be needed).

Cool for half an hour at room temperature, gently remove the cakes and decorate with powdered sugar.

Storage

Store at room temperature in a container or under a glass dome for up to 3 days.

Tips

You can add flavors such as lemon zest to give a bit of acidity, or serve them for example with a chocolate sauce which you can find in this recipe. The cashew ricotta in this recipe is essential, but if you don't like cashews you can try it with almond ricotta, for example. Baking time obviously varies depending on the mold you choose to use; the larger it is, the longer it will take. The shape of the mold used is similar to the Silikomart SF058 GUGELHOPF Ø70 h 36 mm mold However it is possible to use silicone molds of other shapes to make small cakes, such as a simple muffin mold, or a bundt, etc. Since the mold has only 6 cavities it is necessary to bake 3 times, or use 3 molds, or divide the recipe into 3. Note: once baked the batter will not stick to the mold and the cakes can be removed without problems. However, if you think your mold is not of the best quality or if you use a steel mold instead of silicone, it will be necessary to butter the mold. It is recommended to read these articles: - which ingredients to use - where to buy pastry ingredients and products