Ricotta Pound Cake

I got some wonderful fresh ricotta at the farmer's market.  I had no idea what to do with it....so I dipped into my new stash of cookbooks.  This one comes from Dolce Italiano written by Gina DePalma, pastry chef of Babbo.  This was one delish cake.  It gets better with age.  The first time I whipped this up, it baked over the sides of the pan and burned onto the oven.  The house filled with smoke, the alarm went off and needless to say, my parents were pissed.  So, the next day, after I peeled all of the baked on burned cake from the oven, I tried again.  I filled one large loaf pan, and then one small.  Consider this fair warning.  Your family DOES NOT like the piercing sound of the smoke alarm.

1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup softened Unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 vanilla bean, but I used vanilla past.  Way easier and better to store.
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9" loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift cake four, baking powder, salt and set aside.  With the paddle attachment of the mixer cream butter, ricotta and sugar for two minutes.  Butter should be light.  Beat in eggs one at a time, and scrape down bowl after each addition.  Split the vanilla bean with a knife and scape the seeds out.  Or just add the vanilla paste.  Add the vanilla.  On low speed add the dry ingredients and beat batter for 30 seconds.  Pour batter into pan and smooth top.  Be sure to not overfill the pan, learn from me.  Whack it on the counter to get out any air pockets.  Bake the cake for 15 minutes at 350.  Then turn the pan 180 degrees, lower the temperature to 325 and continue to bake until the cake springs back and the sides pull from the sides of the pan.  Gina says 25 minutes, it was more like 40 for me.  Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack.  You can dust it with confectioners sugar, but I did whipped cream and strawberries.