If you are looking for a quick and simple cake recipe to serve with tea or brunch, then this easy Lemon Ricotta Cake is for you. Moist and tender from loads of whole milk ricotta cheese in the batter, this thick cake is best without any extra frosting or fuss.
Trust me, this cake is anything but boring. It may not blow anyone away visually, but the taste and texture of a ricotta cake is incomparable to anything else. This version has hints of lemon while being both fluffy and rich.
Dense yet super moist, this Italian lemon ricotta cake is the type of sweet ending to close out an epic brunch. You can also eat it for breakfast with a side of fruit or pack slices to-go (I've done both). Just dust with powdered sugar and you are set!
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My kids requested a slice for an after school snack. Made with fresh ingredients and without extra frosting, I know this cake is ten-times better than anything I could serve them from a package. How could I resist?
I adore layer cakes for celebrations, but this is the cake you want for snacking. You will also love my Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake, Orange Pound Cake, Easy and Moist Cardamom Cake, and this Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.
What You Need to Know About Lemon Ricotta Cake
For a moist and creamy interior texture, use whole milk ricotta cheese. Ricotta replaces the dairy typically used in a cake batter. Paired with softened butter, it keeps the cake soft and flavorful.
Lemon is the perfect addition to ricotta cake. I use fresh lemon zest massed with the granulated sugar to extract as much lemon flavor as possible. You could easily use any other citrus you have on hand.
This cake is quite thick and bakes up best in a 9-inch springform pan. It uses the creaming method to blend the sugar and butter together to create a fluffier, lighter cake.
Ingredients in a Lemon and Ricotta Cake
- Ricotta cheese - select a whole milk or full fat ricotta cheese
- Unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs - at room temperature
- Fresh lemons
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder - do not mistake for baking soda
- Fine sea salt - like Diamond Crystal (use half the amount of table salt)
- Pure vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Tools and Equipment
For a light and fluffy texture, you will need an electric mixer to make this ricotta cake recipe. A hand or stand mixer is fine. You will also need:
- Rubber spatula
- 9-inch springform pan
- Mesh sieve, for dusting powdered sugar
- Microplane or citrus zester
- General kitchen tools (measuring spoons, mixing bowls, etc.)
Instructions for Making a Lemon Ricotta Cake
This ricotta cake comes together quickly and easily! Make it in one large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
Blend the lemon zest, sugar, and softened butte together until light and fluffy.
Add the ricotta cheese, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Mix to combine.
Mix together the dry ingredients then add into the batter at once.
Fold together to create this incredibly fluffy batter.
Hint: the batter may look a bit curdled, but as you can see, it smooths out when spread in the pan.
Substitutions
There are not too many opportunities for substitutions here. You can try a one-to-one gluten free flour with similar results.
Variations
Orange Ricotta Cake - easily swap orange zest for the lemon
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake - you will love adding mini chocolate chips to the batter! Try with orange zest for a classic chocolate orange combination.
Raspberry Ricotta Cake - fold in 1 cup of frozen raspberries into the final batter before scraping it into the cake pan.
Serving and Storage
Store the cake at room temperature covered with plastic wrap or in an air tight container for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze baked and cooled ricotta cake by wrapping well in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the frozen cake overnight in the refrigerator.
Bake Like a Pro
Thoroughly blend the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Softened butter should be able to easily hold a fingerprint when lightly pressed. It should not feel greasy or be melted or it won't be able to hold in as much air.
For the best cakes, measure the flour accurately (preferably with a scale). Do not pack it in.
Use room temperature eggs, milk, and butter - unless otherwise noted. This will make the batter more homogenous and keep from over-mixing (which causes dry, dense cakes).
Lemon Ricotta Cake FAQs
Ricotta cake taste like a not too sweet, moist cake. It is rich from the ricotta but still fluffy.
Yes, you can freeze ricotta cake. Wrap the baked and cooled cake in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to a month or so. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
No. Ricotta cake is more like a regular butter cake. However, you can make cheesecake with ricotta - but that is a different dish altogether.
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Recipe
Quick and Easy Lemon Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170g)unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups (365g) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, massage the lemon zest and sugar together until very fragrant and smells of fresh lemons. Add the butter. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the ricotta and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Blend to combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Blend until combined. It may look lumpy from the ricotta, but that's okay.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir together with a large rubber spatula until combined.
- Tip the batter into the pan and spread to smooth with an offset spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack until the pan is no longer too hot to handle. Remove the pan and continue to cool until serving. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into thick slices.
David Thompson
Super easy to make. I had ricotta that was going to expire and this was the best use! Will make again. Thank you!
Janet Berryann
First time I made something like this..and I was a big hit at Easter desert.
stylesweet
Oh how lovely! Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it!
Jada
What a totally underrated cake! I mean, this recipe is great. But not the first thing that comes to mind. But wow! Will make again.
Agnes Impelli
Just made it and it was so delicious. Light and airy and very tasty. Will make it again. Not hard to make at all.
stylesweet
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed this cake =)
Corrine
Can I use lime instead of lemon?
stylesweet
HI! I think lime should be lovely too!
Anne McDaniel
I am 75 yrs old and I grew up with an Italian friend. This is the cake I remember!!!