KETO HAZELNUT, PEAR & RICOTTA CELEBRATION CAKE
 
Prep time
Cook time
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This low-carb adaptation of an Italian dessert, is impressive and truly indulgent. Suitable for any special occasion and guaranteed to impress with its fine flavours and delicate texture.
Author:
Recipe type: Desserts
Cuisine: Ketogenic. Low Carb. LCHF. Grain Free. Gluten Free.
Yield: 16 slices
Ingredients
For the sponges:
For the filling:
  • 4 conference pears (300g net after peeling, topping, tailing and coring 3 pears - see 'Decoration' section below)
  • 10g unsalted butter
  • 150g powdered erythritol (U.S. option HERE)
  • 2.5 tsp pure stevia powder
  • 25ml dark rum
  • 10g (2 tsp) gelatine powder (U.S. option HERE)
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste (U.S. option HERE)
  • 500g ricotta
  • 300ml whipping cream
For decoration:
Instructions
To make the sponges:
  1. prepare your 23-24cm (8.5-9”) springform baking tins (U.S. option HERE) by smearing dots of butter on bottom and sides, then lining with non-stick parchment paper; pre-heat oven to 180°C static.
  2. separate eggs into large mixing bowls; whip whites to stiff peaks.
  3. in the other bowl, whisk yolks with sweeteners, add melted butter, then rum, coconut flour and sifted baking powder.
  4. incorporate ground hazelnuts, then gently fold in whipped egg whites.
  5. divide mixture equally between the two baking tins; bake on the same oven rack for 20-25 mins until golden brown.
  6. set aside to cool completely (in their tins) before preparing the filling.
To make the filling:
  1. peel, top, tail and core the pears, then cut them into small chunks.
  2. place the pear chunks, butter, 25g powdered erythritol and ½ tsp stevia in a small frying pan and cook until softened, about 5-7 mins.
  3. add the gelatine powder to the rum, immediately stir it with a fork so lumps don’t form, then, once bloomed after a minute or so, spoon it into the hot pear mixture, bring it back to simmer and turn heat off after 2 minutes; stir in vanilla paste and leave aside to cool down.
  4. drain and discard any liquid from the ricotta, transfer it into a large mixing bowl and whisk in 125g powdered erythritol and 2 tsp pure stevia powder.
  5. whip cream until very stiff and add it to the softened ricotta, then finally fold in the barely-warm pear chunks.
To complete:
  1. line the sides of one of the springform cake tins, and place one sponge upside-down into it.
  2. spoon in the entire filling and level it; place the other sponge on top.
  3. sprinkle icing sugar all over, or (optional) place a pear slice over the centre of the cake before dusting with icing sugar, then remove the slice and you’ll have created the perfect pear silhouette.
  4. for best result, refrigerate overnight and serve chilled.
Notes
Nashi pears (Asian pears) work just as well as Conference pears.

This cake is very rich, so you’ll find 1/16th slice is enough for satiety. To cut identical slices, start by imagining a line (or lay a piece of string) across the middle - both horizontally and vertically (to visualise quarters); use the same method to slice each quarter in half, and then halve each half again.

You can cook the sponge in one springform tin and slice it horizontally to obtain the top and bottom halves you’ll need. However, this isn’t a sponge that rises, so you’d have to be really precise with your knife skills or you may end up with broken cake pieces - which would still be salvageable - just not so pretty or easy to work with.

The only way to ensure accurate measurement of ingredients is with Metric Kitchen Scales (U.S. option HERE).
Nutrition
Serving: 1/16th Calories: 280 Fat: 26g Net Carbs: 3.5g Protein: 6g
Recipe by Queen Keto at https://queenketo.com/keto-hazelnut-pear-ricotta-celebration-cake/