This recipe from baking extraordinaire Alison Roman is proof of how magical baking can be – an easy, one-bowl wonder that looks far more impressive than the effort it takes.

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Spray a 23cm round cake tin with cooking spray and line with baking paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp fine salt.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta, 220g of the sugar, the eggs, vanilla and citrus zest (if using) until smooth. Whisk or gently fold into the flour mixture until just blended. Fold in the melted butter, followed by half the raspberries, crushing them ever so slightly as you fold – you don’t want them to disappear into the batter; just distributed evenly to create a nice, streaky look, almost like tie-dye.
3. Transfer batter to cake tin and scatter remaining raspberries and 1/4 cup (55g) sugar over the top. (It might look like a lot of sugar – it is! But it’s necessary, promise.)
4. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before unmoulding.

Recipe by Alison Roman