We are moved into our house and have internet! The movers came several days late (they said Thursday-Saturday; they came Tuesday) and everything in our house needed fixing (water heater, AC, plumbing) but we live here now with internet. Quick post because I want to find my math and start doing it again (amazing how much I can miss math).
For Christmas my in-laws gave me a copy of the Moosewood Cookbook (note: that’s an amazon affiliate link, which means if you buy from that link I get money hopefully maybe). IT’S AMAZING. I never follow recipes nor use cookbooks, but that statement is no longer true because I loooooove this cookbook. No fancy pictures, and ingredients like “2 or 3 large eggs.” I’m not into measuring precisely (yes this is a baking blog) so I like the give-and-take. Also every single thing I’ve made so far from this cookbook is incredible. You should go buy it. Or give it to someone you love.
Anyways, this cake. You beat things in a bowl, then pour into a pan and bake. EASIEST RECIPE.
I know a guy named Ric, but he’s vegan. If he weren’t vegan, I’d say Ric otta make this cake
First, butter and flour a pan. I used to use a little square of paper towel and put butter on it to wipe across a pan, but then I baked with a friend who just used his (clean) fingers to spread a pat of butter around. It’s actually much easier. Or you can leave the butter in stick form, unwrap the top like a popsicle, and just spread that around- also easy.
I made this in winter, but I think it’d still be great in Spring. Form your own opinion, though.
Then you throw all your ingredients into a bowl. I didn’t have almond extract so skipped it. Do not skip salt!
This cake is grate! And making it is no (g)rind!
Use a mixer, food processor, or lots of arm strength and beat til smooth (I used my KitchenAid, also a gift from in-laws).
It’s surprisingly cool here in Texas right now. Beat ya didn’t see that coming!
Pour the batter into your pan, and bake it for just under an hour.
Once baked, this cake is quite pourtable-it’s not too crumbly. Of course, before it’s baked it’s also pour-able
I don’t know Nathan Dunfield at all (he’s a mathematician in 3-manifolds), but I hope whenever he finishes something he yells DONE-field! I would if that were my last name.
Moosewood Ricotta Cake (adapted lazily from the Moosewood cookbook which you should buy) [I’ll post this recipe because it’s amazing and a good introduction to how great the recipes are, but I’ll likely refrain from posting any more from the cookbook]
2 15-oz containers of ricotta
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1 TB vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350, and butter and flour a spingform pan (or a regular cake pan would be fine too, just not as pretty)
Grate the rind from the lemon, and then juice the lemon. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix them until smooth.
Bake in the pan for 50 minutes. Serve cold (so chill it in the fridge). It just gets tastier the more you let it sit.
Baking and Math 
I’ll give this a try, if nothing else because I love ricotta. I also love the (many) Moosewood Cookbooks I own because they cater to the incompetent cook (=me) as well as to the skilled one. My favourite is “Moosewood cooks at home” with recipes that really take 30 minutes or less.