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1
Place a rack in the center of the oven.
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2
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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3
Grease and flour a 9-inch spring-form pan.
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4
Tap out the excess flour.
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5
Place the pan on a 12-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
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6
Mold the foil tightly around the base and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan so that water cannot seep in.
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7
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
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8
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth.
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9
Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest until well blended.
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10
(For a smoother texture, beat the ingredients with an electric mixer or process them in a food processor.)
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11
Whisk in the dry ingredients just until blended.
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12
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
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13
Set the pan in a large roasting pan and place it in the oven.
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14
Carefully pour hot water to a depth of 1 inch in the roasting pan.
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15
Bake 1 1/2 hours or until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the center comes out clean.
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16
Turn off the oven and prop the door open slightly.
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17
Let the cake cool in the turned off oven 30 minutes.
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18
Remove the cake from the oven and remove the foil wrapping.
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19
Cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack.
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20
Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve slightly chilled.
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21
Store covered with an inverted bowl in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
