Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy.  

Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  

Stir in the flour, salt and baking power, gently mixing until you don’t see any dry ingredients.  

Stir in the lemon zest, ricotta and grated apple.  

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to just pull away from the pan.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Turn cake out and cool competely.  

Sift powder sugar over top and serve.

This cake pairs beautifully with fresh berries and whipped cream or lemon curd.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Por egg mixture over the dry ingredients and gently stir until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Gently fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking, look though the glass door and watch for the edges of the cake to pull from the pan.

After removing the cake from the oven you can leave it in the pan or turn out onto a rimmed platter. Pierce the cake all over.

For the cream mixture:

In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and 2 cups of the heavy cream. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds.

Separate 1-1/2 cups of the cream mixture, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.

Slowly and carefully pour the remaining cream over the warm cake. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, beat one cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and 1/4 t of vanilla. Spread the whipped cream over the chilled cake. Serve with the reserved chilled milk sauce.

Pour milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract into bowl and whisk until blended. Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating
at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture
and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely before frosting, about 1 1/2 hours.