Bartering Raspberry Ricotta Snack Cake

I love roses and digging my toes into the Earth in my backyard which connects me to the universe. 

I hate mowing the lawn and all sundry things attached to it. I will tend to things, however, because it's my responsibility, but I don't like it. 

I've made new year's resolutions to become friends with gardening. It hasn't worked. But lucky for me there's is Meg. 

Meg is my neighbor and she loves getting her hands dirty. She's also got stamina for working in the sun like no other person I've met. A bonus, she loves cookies and cake so we have struck a deal! Meg mows my lawn and bake her things! She's offered for years and finally I said okay. Maybe it will leave me with a little umph to tend to the flowers. Regardless, I'm just tickled. 

I made this for her tonight: 

3 eggs

2 cups ricotta

0.5 teaspoon vanilla

1.5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

0.25 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces butter, melted

1 cup frozen raspberries

350 degree oven. 9 inch springform pan. Parchment on the bottom, well sprayed. 

Set the butter to melt

This is a hand mixed cake. No worries, it goes together easily. In a large bowl beat the eggs and ricotta together. Add the vanilla. Dump the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt onto the egg/cheese mixture, then stir together. Add the melted butter and mix well, scraping the sides. Dump in all but 12ish raspberries. Fold the raspberries in trying not to break them apart. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and dot with remaining berries. 

Bake 50-70 minutes, until a tester comes out cleanly. Allow the cake to cool slightly in the pan. I turned the cake out twice, once onto a plate and then a second time onto the serving plate, so the pretty raspberries are on top. 

Eat plain or serve with whipped cream or give it to you neighbor because you want to say Thank You.