Almond Butter Loaf Cake with Vanilla Ricotta Ribbon

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a little of the canola oil and line it with a parchment sling.
2. Prepare the almonds: pulse 60 g of the almonds in a food processor until finely ground, and roughly chop the remaining 40 g for the topping.
3. Make the vanilla ricotta filling: whisk the ricotta, 20 g of the sugar, one egg (one third of the eggs), one third of the vanilla (4 g), the cornstarch and the lemon zest until smooth. Set aside.
4. Whisk the dry mix: in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Make the wet mix: in a large bowl, whisk the almond butter, the remaining canola oil and the remaining 130 g of sugar until smooth, then whisk in the remaining two eggs one at a time, the remaining two thirds of the vanilla (8 g), the Greek yogurt and the milk.
6. Fold the dry mix into the wet mix just until no dry streaks remain.
7. Spread two thirds of the batter in the pan. Spoon the vanilla ricotta filling down the center, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the sides, then cover with the remaining third of the batter, spreading it gently to seal the filling.
8. Scatter the chopped almonds over the top and press them lightly into the batter.
9. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, tenting with foil after 40 minutes if the almonds darken, until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean and the center reaches 160°F (71°C).
10. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, lift out by the parchment and cool completely on the rack, about 1 1/2 hours, before cutting into 12 slices. Store leftovers in the fridge.