Shots of the food

The perfect healthy lemon ricotta cake to try this weekend

Name: The perfect healthy lemon ricotta cake to try this weekend
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 15 serving(s)
Ingredients: 120 g lemon infused olive oil; 150 g caster sugar; 3 free-range eggs, separated; Zest of three lemons plus the juice of one; 400 g tub of ricotta; 125 g self-raising flour or 140g ground almonds; 1 tsp. baking powder

Reduce fat – but not flavour – with this delicious pre-run lemon cake.

By Runner's WorldUpdated: 19 June 2019

Jump to recipe

Want the deep flavour of cheesecake for a fraction of the calories and far less fat? Whip up a batch of these fluffy lemon-ricotta squares. “They are delicious still warm with a touch of cream and a few raspberries,” says cook Cathy Rogers . “And they’re equally delicious the next day. If you’re feeling decadent you could have one as a carb-rich, pre-run breakfast cake.”

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Yields:

15 serving(s)

Prep Time:

1 hr

Total Time:

1 hr

Cal/Serv:

221

Ingredients

120 g
lemon infused olive oil
150 g
caster sugar
3
free-range eggs, separated
Zest of three lemons plus the juice of one
400 g
tub of ricotta
125 g
self-raising flour or 140g ground almonds
1 tsp.
baking powder

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat the oven to 180C. Beat together the oil, sugar and the yolks of the eggs.
2. Step 2Add the ricotta and zest and juice of the lemons, beating them all together. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the main mixture, trying not to lose too much air through overmixing, then do the same with the flour (or ground almonds) and baking powder.
3. Step 3Pour the mixture into a large cake tin. Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool and cut into 15 slices.
Per slice - Calories 221 Fat 9g Carbs 17g Protein 5g

Often credited as the key factor in Mediterranean health, olive oil is a great lower-calorie substitute for butter or other fats used in home baking.

Ricotta tastes sweet - and its high calcium content is tasty too: researchers linked the mineral to lower fat absorption, but only if you get it from food and not supplementation.

Ground almonds instead of flour will make the cakes heavier, but you lighter: the nuts were linked to weight loss when dieters ate them daily in place of the equivalent calories of carbs.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below