• Prep your pan and oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center. Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, or lightly dust with flour after greasing.
• Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup yellow cornmeal, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
• Cream the butter, sugar, and citrus zest: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest on medium speed until light, pale, and fluffy — about 5 minutes.
  1 cup granulated sugar, 1 medium Zest of 1 lemon, 10 tbsp Unsalted butter , 1 medium Zest of 1 orange
• Add the eggs one at a time: Crack in one egg, beat for about 30 seconds until fully incorporated, then repeat with the second. This keeps the batter smooth and helps prevent curdling.
  2 large eggs
• Add the ricotta: Mix in the ricotta and beat for 1 more minute until the batter is smooth and creamy.
  1 cup ricotta cheese

Combine the wet and dry:

• Add the dry flour mixture and stir on low speed until just combined — do not overmix.
• Fold in the berries: Gently fold in the berries using a spatula.
  1 ¼ cups fresh summer berries
• Optional tip: If using fresh berries, you can freeze them beforehand and toss them in 1 teaspoon of flour. This keeps them from sinking to the bottom and helps prevent them from breaking apart in the batter.

Bake the cake:

• Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool and serve:

• Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then, carefully release the springform and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve warm immediately. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
  Confectioners’ sugar
• Note: This cake is delicious served slightly warm with a dollop of zested ricotta frosting or whipped cream. I love it warm, right out of the oven!
• Ricotta Frosting Instructions
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth and fluffy, with no visible lumps. This usually takes 3-5 minutes.
  8 oz cream cheese, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Add the ricotta, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Beat again until fully combined and silky, about 2 minutes more. The texture should be light and airy.
  12 oz whole milk ricotta cheese, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 medium Zest of 1 orange
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. Beat until just incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix for another 30 seconds to make the frosting soft and spoonable.
  3 cups powdered sugar