Inspired by a sugar cookie and featuring ricotta and olive oil, this Italian sweet cake is about to become the best you’ve ever tasted. Ever. Ever.
When it comes to cake, I’m a picky chicken. Always looking for ways to upgrade box mixes, I often come away feeling a little blasé. No matter what you add, most mixes make a pretty standard cake that’s pretty good. It’s hard to change the texture or generally wow one’s face off.
Until, of course, one decided to add a pound of ricotta, a heaping glug of olive oil and the most incredible almond-kissed drizzle of icing to the top of this sugar cookie-inspired cake.
- It all starts here. A pretty simple ingredient lineup, with the addition of olive oil, ricotta and almond extract.
- Easy as anything, simply pop all of the ingredients into a stand mixer, beat until creamy, then pour into a well-greased 9-inch springform pan.
- And bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean
- Once cooled, whisk together a smidgen of powdered sugar and a splotch of heavy cream. Then drizzle. Ice. Frost away.
- Time for sprinkling. Just go for it. Express your inner sprinkles with reckless abandon.
- Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.
Italian Christmas Cookie Cake
- 10 min
- Total Time 1 hr 20 min
- Servings 12
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz.) box French vanilla cake mix
- 1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- Nonpareil sprinkles
- Baking spray
Directions
- Heat oven to 325º F. Spray a 9” springform pan with baking spray.
- In a stand mixer, beat together cake mix, ricotta, 3/4 cup heavy cream, olive oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Beat until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from springform pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup heavy cream, powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Drizzle over cake, sprinkle with nonpareils. Allow frosting to set before slicing and serving.
