Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

16 | 02 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

This simple cake with bright lemony flavor is my new favorite. I love Italian desserts and recently made a delicious Italian Love Cake for my girlfriends. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pics since I was in a hurry, but I promise to share the recipe with you very soon. But this cake is something else. An easy dessert that’s so simple and perfectly satisfying and if you love lemon desserts like me, you’ll fall in love with this!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

I bought two tubs of ricotta for my Italian Love Cake and used just one. I scoured the web for ricotta recipes and stumbled upon this one. It sounded pretty simple and lemon and ricotta seemed like just the perfect combination. I had all the ingredients and couldn’t wait to try this! It did not disappoint at all and the flavors are right up my alley.

The cake is wonderfully moist from the ricotta and is light and airy.I doubled the recipe and it turned out amazing! did not use the apples as mentioned in the recipe and just went with lemon and ricotta. You could dress it up with some berries if you prefer or just keep it simple like I’ve done here. The hubs and the kids went for seconds and needless to say it disappeared in no time!This is one elegant looking cake and I can’t wait to make this for my friends. This is a keeper. Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Lemon Ricotta Cake

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Ingredients
  

  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 11 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • ⅔ cup ricotta
  • zest of one lemon
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  • Grease an 8 inch round pan with butter.
  • In a large bowl using a spatula or hand held mixer mix the softened butter and sugar until creamy.
  • Add eggs and combine well.
  • Add the flour,baking powder and salt.Mix well.
  • Add the ricotta and lemon zest.
  • Mix until nicely incorporated and no lumps are left.
  • Pour into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until you see the edges turning golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let it cool for a bit before transferring it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Recipe adapted from Mon Petit Four

Mother’s Day Breakfast in bed-Strawberry Stuffed Ricotta Fennel Pancakes with #BonneMaman

10 | 05 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Mother’s Day is round the corner and I’m excited!Every mother works hard for her family each day and its always sweet to surprise her with breakfast in bed so she can relax and take it easy for a change.Makes us moms feel special and appreciated :).My kids and the hubs have spoilt me crazy on Mother’s Day with their plans almost every year.Its always great to see their excitement for their efforts and fills me with so much gratitude. I look forward to my kids’ sweet cards and poems too!This time around we’re planning to do a 5K Mother’s Day Walk in support of March of Dimes followed by lunch and I’m looking forward to it!

Strawberry stuffed Ricotta fennel pancakes


I’m glad to be partnering with Bonne Maman for a special mother’s day Breakfast in bed recipe using their delicious strawberry preserves that’s perfect for whipping up something magical for us moms. While my mom is miles away from me, I can totally imagine her enjoying her breakfast in bed with these scrumptious stuffed pancakes using Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves that are perfectly decadent and fluffy with fennel and ricotta.

Bonne Maman preserves are my favorite mainly for the fact that taste like homemade and they’re free from preservatives and artificial flavors.The flavors are fantastic and they’re made with the same time-honored traditional French recipes used to create the brand. They’re perfect for my Stuffed pancakes oozing out and adding their sweet fruity goodness in every bite.

Strawberry Stuffed Ricotta Fennel Pancakes

I came up with the idea of using fennel in this recipe reminiscing my mom’s Indian style pancakes called Pua that uses fennel and banana. They’re out of this world and the fennel works well with the ricotta for this recipe.The process is fairly simple and its just a matter of mixing all the ingredients to make a batter. The egg whites are then folded in carefully that makes these pancakes light and airy.Once its in the pan the strawberry preserve is added and covered with a small amount of batter and cooked to perfection until all fluffy with slightly golden edges.The fennel imparts a lovely sweet aroma and flavor to these pancakes and its what special breakfasts’ are made of!Enjoy and a very happy Mother’s Day to you all!

Strawberry Stuffed Ricotta Fennel Pancakes

Strawberry Stuffed Ricotta Fennel Pancakes

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 large eggs separated
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Bonne Maman Strawberry preserves
  • Butter

Instructions
 

  • Whisk flour, fennel seeds, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
  • Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
  • Beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer until stiff.
  • Stir a tbsp of the egg whites into the pancake batter to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.
  • Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Melt a small bit of butter in the pan, just enough to coat the surface. Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour batter onto the hot griddle.
  • Spoon a tbsp of the strawberry preserve in the center and pour a small amount of batter just to cover it.
  • Cook the pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden and you see a few bubbles popping through the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the remaining pancakes.
  • Serve them immediately with powdered sugar, maple syrup and some fresh strawberries.

Ricotta Cardamom Fudge #Diwali

10 | 11 | 2015
By Soni Sinha

Our biggest festival Diwali (festival of lights) is just a day away and I’m excited!Its the time when you decorate your home with Diyas (earthern lamps)and candles.I love selecting the diyas from our local Indian stores and they come in various shapes and colors.Diwali is the festival of lights and as such homes are lit up inside and out with colorful lights.Colorful rangoli patterns adorn the entrance of homes for good luck.It’s all such a pretty sight.Coincidentally schools are also closed tomorrow and I’m so happy that my kids get to celebrate Diwali and help me out with things.Our kitchen is going to be busy and I’m looking forward to some festive cooking!

Ricotta Cardamom Fudge

Festivals are also the perfect excuse to indulge in those sinfully delicious foods both sweet and savory and enjoy them to your heart’s content.I try and recreate recipes from Mom’s repertoire like this one and the one I have for you today. It’s an easy fudge (burfi in Hindi) made with Ricotta (Mom uses paneer) and flavored with Green Cardamom and Saffron. If you’re familiar with Indian desserts you’ll notice that green cardamom is used extensively and I personally love the flavor.Just use it sparingly since a little bit goes a long way.

Ricotta Cardamom Fudge (Ricotta Burfi)

It comes together in minutes and tastes phenomenal.The Ricotta is cooked in a pan along with some condensed milk, cardamom and saffron until all the moisture evaporates and then cooled off to set.Once set just cut it into desired shape and you’re good to go.You can store it in the fridge and it stays good for upto a week.The fudge is rich and creamy and flavors from the saffron and cardamom comes through.Its reminiscent of the treats back home from the sweet shops and is perfectly sweet just the way I like it.Enjoy!

“Wishing you all a very happy Diwali”

Ricotta Cardamom Fudge

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 tub Ricotta Cheese- 425 gms
  • 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk- 14 oz
  • 2 Green Cardamom crushed
  • Few Saffron strands
  • Sliced almonds for garnish
  • Ghee or unsalted butter-2 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • In a pot heat the ghee/butter.
  • Add the ricotta and condensed milk.
  • Mix well and keep stirring on low heat for about 15 minutes.
  • Add the saffron strands and cardamom.
  • Mix and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes until all moisture evaporates.
  • Line a dish with parchment paper long enough to let the ends stick out.Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and let it cool for a bit.
  • Lift the edges of the parchment paper and empty it upside down on to a tray.
  • Cut into desired shape.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds and some crushed cardamom.
  • Enjoy.

 

 

Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce ~ All things Orange #SundaySupper

07 | 10 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Autumn colors are indeed magical.Nature seems like a canvas painted with beautiful warm colors.Pumpkin patches, halloween, trick-or-treating all the fun and the excitement has begun! Autumn also brings along with it some glorious orange colored foods from pumpkins to squash to sweet potatoes and its no surprise then that our friend Pam chose ‘All things Orange’ for today’s SundaySupper!

pumpkin ricotta rigatoni

My entry for this event is an easy Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce that captures the essence of fall colors and flavors into a gorgeous creamy pasta dish.I found a Martha Stewart recipe and tweaked it by going for the Ricotta instead of heavy cream and adding nutmeg!The result is an elegant pasta dish that takes no effort to prepare and yet makes a strong statement in terms of flavors and texture.

pumpkin+ricotta+rigatoni3

The sage adds this sweet lemony touch and fragrance to the dish and the pumpkin with the ricotta is pure magic.The nutmeg is essential in enhancing the creamy flavors and the grated parmesan is all you need to finish off this gorgeous sauce.I was so happy to see my kids enjoy the dinner as much as we did :).They were very excited to know that there was pumpkin in the sauce. Something about Pumpkins and Halloween that gets them all excited 🙂

Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce ~ All things Orange #SundaySupper

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Rigatoni-3 cups uncooked
  • Pumpkin Puree-3/4 cup I used canned
  • Ricotta Cheese-1/2 cup
  • Milk-1/4 cup
  • Grated Nutmeg-1 tsp
  • Sage leaves-10 cut into strips
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1 tbsp
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese-1/4 cup
  • Salt-to taste
  • Pepper-1 tsp

Instructions
 

  • Cook the Rigatoni in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
  • In a bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, ricotta,milk, sage leaves.
  • In a pan on medium heat, add the Olive Oil followed by the pumpkin sauce.
  • Gently mix together until all creamy.You can add more milk to reach the desired consistency.Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  • Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and add freshly grated parmesan cheese to finish off.Serve hot!
 

The #SundaySupper family is using the spirit of the season to inspire you and will be sharing some fabulous dishes at the #SundaySupper table this week, and we do hope that you’ll join us!

Just look at all of the fabulous dishes being offered up this week:

Sunrise (Breakfast and Brunch)

Sunset (Dinner and Main Dishes)

By The Bonfire (Sweets, Snacks and Sips)

That is one great list of orange culinary delights. What a way to brighten up a meal. A feast for the eyes and the tummy!

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check our our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

 

Apple Ricotta Cake-Guest Post at The German Foodie

22 | 07 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Today its my great pleasure to be guest posting over at my friend Sofie’s blog The German Foodie!!Sofie and I met through one of our facebook groups and I just love her German recipes.She is a great friend and extremely helpful! She is also well versed in photography skills and I enjoyed her little workshop on the same topic some time back!So when Sofie wanted me to guest post for her while she was on vacation I was thrilled! 🙂
I decided to make an Apple Ricotta Cake for this post mainly because it uses two of my favorite ingredients apples and ricotta!I found a simple recipe at All Recipes and just added some ricotta into the mixture!The result was a creamy, moist and delicious cake with a great personality coming from the juicy apples with cinnamon!

Apple Ricotta Cake

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium apples-peeled cored and chopped or sliced
  • Cinnamon-2 tsp
  • Ricotta-1/4 cup
  • Eggs-2
  • Sugar-1 cup
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1 cup
  • All purpose flour-1 ½ cup
  • Baking Powder-1 ½ tsp
  • Vanilla extract-1 tsp
  • Kosher salt-1/4 tsp

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle some flour all over.
  • Cream the sugar and oil in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until creamy.
  • Add the ricotta and vanilla and mix. Add the eggs and continue to mix until well combined.
  • Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and ground cinnamon in a separate bowl and add to the liquid mixture. Mix until well combined.
  • Fold in the apples and pour the batter into the greased pan.
  • Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Once done cool on a wire rack and serve warm