Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake

I am so excited to be sharing this fabulous cornmeal-ricotta upside-down cake recipe from Chef Elisabeth Prueitt’s Tartine Bakery.

It's a rich, yet light spongy lemon cake made with almond flour, cornmeal and ricotta.

It's lined with orange slices and makes for the best, most unique piece of cake, ever.

How to make cornmeal-ricotta upside-down cake

Featured Ingredients

• Brown and granulated sugar: Brown sugar for the upside-down mixture to pair with the orange slices
  • Granulated sugar for the cake mixture.
• Oranges: Thinly sliced to make for the upside down topping. (Absolutely delicious.)
• Butter: To make the pan non-stick and for the batter.
• Eggs: For the batter, to hold everything together!
• Ricotta: Makes the batter rich and tender. So, so good.
• Lemon: To give the cake batter a citrusy, bright flavor.
• Cornmeal: Instead of flour, the cornmeal gives the batter a nice texture.
• Almond flour: Provides nuttiness to the batter.
  • A lovely combo with the cornmeal!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 10-in springform pan (I used 8-in) with 3-in sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly. Butter the sides of the pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and water together to form a paste and then spread it across the bottom of the pan.
3. Arrange the orange slices on top of the sugar paste, overlapping them with one in the center.
4. Try to cover as much of the bottom of the pan as possible; the slices will shrink slightly during baking.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
6. Add the yolks one at a time to the butter mixture beating well after each addition.
7. Add the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Beat to combine.
8. Mix the cornmeal and almond flour into the egg-ricotta mixture.
9. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
10. In another bowl, whisk the reserved egg whites to soft peaks.
11. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the cake batter just until no white streaks are visible. (The batter will be very thick.)
12. Immediately turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
13. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top of the cake is no longer shiny.
14. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. To unmold, run a butter knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake and then release and lift off the pan sides.
15. Invert the cake, remove the pan bottom, peel off the parchment, and serve.
16. The cake will keep, well wrapped, for up to 4 days at room temperature or about 1 week in the refrigerator.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• For the sugars: You can use all brown sugar or all granulated sugar for the upside-down part of the cake and the cake batter.
• Instead of ricotta: You may be able to swap in full-fat plain Greek yogurt, but I haven't tested this.
• Instead of oranges: Try thinly sliced lemons.
• For the butter: You could use vegetable oil (like avocado or canola) instead of butter for the batter.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this gluten free: Because this cake is made with cornmeal and almond flour instead of wheat-based flour, it's gluten free.
  • Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free.
• To make this dairy free: You may be able to use dairy-free yogurt instead of ricotta, but I haven't tested this and it will likely change the texture pretty substantially.

Fabulous dessert recipes:

• Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins
• Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
• Healthy Monster Cookies
• Sweet Potato Oatmeal Muffins with Graham Cracker Crumble
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread  

Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake

Print Recipe

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The famous cornmeal-ricotta cake from Tartine Bakery by Chef Elisabeth Pruiett.

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 15-20 mins
• Cook Time: 30-45 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins-1 hr 5 mins
• Yield: Serves 8
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Unsalted butter, for the pan
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 oranges, very thinly sliced
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• ¾ cup ricotta cheese
• Zest and juice of 3 lemons
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon almond flour

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 10-in springform pan (I used 8-in) with 3-in sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly. Butter the sides of the pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and water together to form a paste and then spread it across the bottom of the pan. Arrange the orange slices on top of the sugar paste, overlapping them with one in the center. Try to cover as much of the bottom of the pan as possible; the slices will shrink slightly during baking.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
4. Add the yolks one at a time to the butter mixture beating well after each addition. Add the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Beat to combine.
5. Mix the cornmeal and almond flour into the egg-ricotta mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
6. In another bowl, whisk the reserved egg whites to soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the cake batter just until no white streaks are visible. (The batter will be very thick.) Immediately turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
7. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top of the cake is no longer shiny. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. To unmold, run a butter knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake and then release and lift off the pan sides. Invert the cake, remove the pan bottom, peel off the parchment, and serve.
8. The cake will keep, well wrapped, for up to 4 days at room temperature or about 1 week in the refrigerator.

Notes

Cooking Tip: Use whole milk ricotta for a richer cake.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅛ of cake
• Calories: 341
• Sugar: 35g
• Sodium: 346mg
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 43g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 118mg