Recipes from our Celebrity Chef

Our super chef Greg Haynes has been a pro for years. Eight years in fine dining have taken him everywhere from Boathouse to Pilu, cooking for the likes of Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Jennifer Hawkins and Lara Bingle. And now he's here to share his kitchen knowledge with you, stay tuned every week for a new recipe from Greg's archives...

Almond, lemon and ricotta cake

This trio of flavours will make your mouth water and have you coming back slice after slice.

Ingredients:

250g blanched almonds
65g plain flour
225g unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of 7 lemons
250g castor sugar 6 eggs separated
300g ricotta cheese

Method:

Step 1- reheat the oven to 150 degrees. Butter a 25cm (10 inch) round tin, and line with grease proof paper.

Step 2 - Coarsely chop the almonds in a food processor. Combine with the flour and lemon zest. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixer until pale and light. Add the egg yolks one by one, then add the almond mixture.

Step 3 - Put the ricotta in a bowl and lightly beat with a fork. Add the lemon juice. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture and finally stir in the ricotta

Step 4 - Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until set. Test by inserting a skewer, which should come out clean. Remove from the tin while warm, and cool on a cake rack.

Makes a 10 inch tin