Easy lemon ricotta cake recipe

Baking a lemon ricotta cake had been on my list for a long time. It’s a moist, soft cake with a hint of lemon. It sounded delicious, but it turned out even better than expected. You really must try this easy lemon ricotta cake!

What Does A Lemon Ricotta Cake Taste Like?

It’s a specialty of Italian dessert cuisine. Ricotta cakes are soft and slightly airy, yet deliciously moist. Add a hint of lemon, and you have a delicious cake. That’s exactly what you want in a cake, right? It was high time I gave it a try.

Since it’s a classic Italian recipe, I drew inspiration from several Italian recipes and created my own Lemon Ricotta Cake. I reduced the amount of sugar and adjusted the recipe so the end result would be a fluffy, creamy cake. It’s almost a cross between a cheesecake and a regular cake.

Recipe Ingredients

• Ricotta – an important thing to keep in mind is that some ricotta brands can be a bit watery. If that is the case, make sure to drain the ricotta to prevent the cake becoming too wet. Ideally let it drain for 24 hours in the fridge.
• Fresh lemons – I use the juice and zest of 1 lemon. If you want to add more lemon flavor use only extra zest. Not extra juice.
• Sugar – I like to use fine granulated sugar for this recipe.
• Self-Rising flour – you can also use all-purpose flour in combination with baking powder. Make sure to double check the article on how to substitute flour for self-rising flour and vice versa.

Check for full quantities and ingredients in the recipe card below.

How To Make Lemon Ricotta Cake

This easy ricotta cake is not complicated to make. You start by mixing the butter and part of the sugar until you have a creamy consistency. Add the ricotta and mix for about 5 minutes until light and creamy. You can use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl or use the bowl of a stand mixer. Since you need to whisk for quite a few minutes, a stand mixer is easier than an electric hand mixer.

Now, separate the eggs and add the yolks one by one while you keep the machine on medium speed. Add vanilla, fresh lemon juice of half a lemon, zest of the whole lemon, baking soda, and salt. The last part is to mix in the self-rising flour until it is incorporated.

Beat the egg whites in a grease-free bowl with the remaining sugar until you have stiff peaks. Now, first add a bit of the batter to the egg whites and fold them in. Once that is absorbed, you add the remaining egg whites to the batter and try and keep it light and airy. You want a cake with that fluffy texture.

Now add the batter into a springform pan or cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-55 minutes or until the cake is done.

If the cake is getting too brown, cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil. Make sure to let the cake cool in the form for the first 15 minutes before taking it out. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

You can serve it as is or with a little dusting of icing sugar. Of course, adding fresh berries is always a good idea. Alternatively, you can also make a lemon glaze for this lemon ricotta cake recipe.

Lemon Ricotta Cake Toppings

This cake goes well with all kinds of toppings. This means you can make a different cake every time. Fancy some variety? Then try this:

• decorate the cake with heavy cream and red berries
• replace the lemon in the recipe with fresh orange zest
• top the cake with mascarpone cream mixed with lemon juice and zest (Check what the difference is between various kind of creams). Serve with fresh fruit to complete the dish.

Lemon Recipes

I love using lemon in baked goods. That’s why you’ll find plenty of lemon recipes on Laura’s Bakery. I’ve listed some of your favorites below:

• Mini lemon meringue tarts
• Lemon fudge (just 4 ingredients!)
• Lemon bars
• Lemon rosemary scones