A gorgeously herb-scented cake to enjoy with your coffee or tea. Make sure you grease the bundt cake really well, covering all edges and corners. I used a Heritage Bundtlette Pan tin for the smaller cakes - you will get about 18-20 mini cakes.
250g| 8oz unsalted butter at room temperatureplus a little more to grease the cake tin
250g| 8oz caster sugar
250g| 8oz smooth ricotta
150g| 5.3oz fine semolina
150g| 5.3oz plainall purpose flour, plus a little more to dust the cake tin
80ml| 2.7oz lemon juiceor you can use Limoncello
3eggs
1tbsplemon thyme leavesvery finely chopped
1tspbaking powder
1/2tspbicarbonate of soda
zest of 2 lemons
4-5Ricola original crushed into a fine powder to decorate
fresh thyme sprigs to decorate
For the herb syrup
100g| 3.5oz sugar
100ml| 3.5fl oz water
2tbsplemon juice
2sprigs lemon thyme
4sage leaves
For the glaze
200g| 7oz icing sugar
1-2tbsplemon juice or milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C | 350 F. Grease a 20cm (8in) bundt cake tin with a little butter, covering all corners and edges. Dust with a little flour and shake out any excess.
Beat the butter, sugar, thyme and lemon zest in a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) until pale and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine.
Stir in the ricotta and lemon juice.
Sift in the flour, semolina, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Stir everything together until the batter is smooth.
Transfer the batter into the prepared bundt tin and level. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack before carefully turning out.
Put the sugar, water, lemon juice and herbs in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the herbs and brush the syrup liberally over the cake.
Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice or milk to create a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle it over the cake. Sprinkle with the crushed Ricola and decorate with a couple of thyme sprigs. The cake keeps really well for a few days.