You’ll love this buttery and moist Lemon Ricotta Cake made with fresh lemons. Dusted with powdered sugar and topped with mascarpone cream and raspberries, it’s the perfect quick and easy lemon dessert.
Lemon + ricotta = a match made in heaven 💕 It takes a lot for me to steer away from chocolate-covered desserts, but if there’s one dessert that can make me do it, it’s this gorgeous Lemon Ricotta Cake.
With a soft, buttery texture and a rich lemon flavour, it’s my new go-to dessert. Think of it as a cross between a creamy cheesecake and lemon cake – divine!
Served with a thick mascarpone cream and fresh raspberries, I promise this easy Ricotta Cake is a total crowd-pleaser.
Why you will love this recipe
Quick and easy: It sounds impressive, but this Lemon Ricotta Cake is surprisingly easy to make with only simply ingredients – perfect for beginners!
Lemon flavour: With lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in the cake, it’s bursting with zesty lemon goodness.
Creamy texture: The ricotta in this cake helps to create a creamy *almost* cheesecake-like texture with a very moist crumb.
Make-ahead: If you want to make this for a dinner party, you can easily make it the day before for easy entertaining.
Recipe testing
I’m proud of this Italian-inspired cake. It took me a little while to get it just right but it has made me fall more and more in love with lemon desserts.
Not only is it lovely and sweet, but it’s very simple to make too.
You only need a handful of ingredients, but the fresh lemons and creamy ricotta change everything. It creates a somewhat dense cake, especially when compared to my Lemon Crumb Cake or even my Lemon Pound Cake but it has a truly tender crumb.
The texture is not too wet but not dry. It is creamy like a cheesecake, but light and fresh too.
Just like in my Lemon Ricotta Cookies, I recommend using a tub of full fat store-bought ricotta.
To serve, you can simply dust the cake with powdered sugar, add a few fresh berries and a generous dollop of mascarpone cream. Heaven.
Ingredients
This Italian Lemon Cake calls for fresh lemons and storebought ricotta, but the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.
I like to serve my cake with a simple two-ingredient mascarpone cream, but you can also just enjoy it with a simple dusting of icing sugar.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the key ingredients you’ll need, including any substitutions you can make.
- Caster sugar: Caster sugar is very fine sugar often used in baking. In this recipe, granulated sugar will also work.
- Fresh lemons: You can’t substitute fresh lemons in this recipe. We will be using both the lemon zest and the juice in the cake batter.
- Plain flour: You’ll need plain flour or all purpose flour.
- Ricotta cheese: I used Perfect Italiano Original Ricotta in this recipe. Most storebought full fat ricotta should work. If you use fresh ricotta cheese, you may just need to drain it first.
- Milk: You don’t need buttermilk for this recipe, just regular whole or full fat milk works perfectly.
- Icing sugar: Icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar, is what you’ll need just to decorate the cake.
- Thickened cream: You’ll need thickened cream or heavy cream for the mascarpone cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Lemon Ricotta Cake
This easy Lemon Ricotta Cake is surprisingly easy to make. You will need an electric mixer, either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Here’s a quick overview of how to make it but the full instructions are included in the recipe below.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add eggs, one at a time, beating briefly just to combine. It’s ok if your mixture looks a bit lumpy here.
Step 3: Add lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and ricotta and beat on a low speed.
Step 4: Add milk and beat briefly until combined. Cake batter will be thick and creamy.
Step 5: Transfer cake batter to a prepared cake pan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.
Step 6: Leave cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 7: In a large bowl, add mascarpone and thickened cream. Mix on medium speed until thick and creamy.
Step 8: Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and serve with mascarpone cream.
Tips for making Ricotta Cake
- Grease and line: Classic Lemon Ricotta Cake has the tendency to stick to the pan, so make sure you grease your cake pan well and line the bottom AND the sides with baking or parchment paper. You could also use a springform pan if you like.
- Batter may curdle: Adding fresh lemon juice means the cake batter might look a little curdled, but it’s totally fine.
- Expect a limited rise: This cake is moist and dense, so it won’t rise as much as a regular cake. You can tell it’s ready by inserting a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean.
- Leave to cool: Leave the cake to cool completely in the cake tin as it will be quite fragile when warm. Serve cooled cake with mascarpone cream and fresh raspberries for the perfect dessert.
Frequently asked questions
You can serve this cake at room temperature or cold from the fridge. I personally love to serve it at room temperature with mascarpone cream or freshly whipped cream and a handful of fresh berries.
Yes absolutely! You can swap the lemon zest and lemon juice in this recipe for orange zest and juice.
Yes, you can fold a few fresh raspberries or blueberries into the cake batter right before baking. If you want to use frozen berries, add them frozen – do not thaw first.
More lemon recipes
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Let’s Bake
Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe
A moist and dense Lemon Ricotta Cake made with fresh lemons.
Ingredients
Lemon ricotta cake
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 140 grams (1 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 250 grams (1 cup) store bought ricotta
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
Mascarpone cream
- 240 ml (1 cup) thickened or heavy cream (see notes)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) mascarpone
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar, optional, to serve
- Fresh raspberries, optional, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment or baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and ricotta and beat on a low speed. Add milk and beat briefly until combined. Cake batter may be lumpy and curdled but this is totally fine.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave cake to cool completely in cake pan.
- Add cream and mascarpone to a mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer for a couple of minutes or until thickened.
- To serve, dust cake with icing sugar. Cut into small slices and serve with mascarpone cream and fresh raspberries.
Notes
Ricotta cheese: I used Perfect Italiano Original Ricotta in this recipe. Most storebought full fat ricotta should work. If you use fresh ricotta cheese, you may just need to drain it first.
Icing sugar: Icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar, is used to decorate the cake.
Thickened cream: You’ll need thickened cream or heavy cream for the mascarpone cream. Cream can have different names in different countries but look for a high-fat cream (at least 35% fat) that says it is suitable for whipping.
Mascarpone cream: If you don’t have access to mascarpone cream, you can simply leave it out and decorate the cake with whipped cream.
Storage: Keep leftover Lemon Ricotta Cake in an airtight container in the fridge. You can bring it to room temperature to serve.
Make-ahead: You can freeze the cake. Wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and keep it in an airtight container.
Chris says
I used a wetter ricotta so I omitted the milk and it turned out really well. It’s delicious served at room temperature or microwaved for a few seconds. I might add a little more lemon and vanilla next time because I really like those flavours. At 30 minutes the skewer was still wet, 35 minutes it was dry. Any longer and I think it would’ve overcooked and dried out. I like this recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback Chris ☺️
Christina says
Hi! I came across this recipe while looking for a ricotta cake recipe with apples. Have you tried adding any type of fruit to the batter?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Christina, I haven’t no, but that sounds nice!
SJA says
One word…DELICIOUS. Easy,elegant, and not too sweet. I did not make the cream for serving, due to time constraints, but can only imagine it would have been even more delicious. Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Katalin Kovacs says
Just baked this. Sooooo nice and easy.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Jo Ellen Washburn says
This is fantastic! I made it as directed, except I only had a 9″ pan so cooked it for 32 minutes. Besides being incredibly easy, it was light and delicious. It also tastes elegant and looks so pretty. I am going to add this to my list of party desserts and food gifts. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Jo Ellen! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!
Rachael says
Hi Jess, How long will this cake last? Can you (slice up and) freeze and take out when you feel like a piece? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rachael, this cake will keep for a few days in the fridge. But yes, otherwise you can pop it in the freezer 🙂
Cat says
Hi. I’ve made this twice and its wonderful but can I use sour cream instead of ricotta? . I’ve also made this with chocolate instead of lemon and it urned out just as good. Thanks you.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Cat! I’m so glad you loved this cake! I haven’t tried it with sour cream so I can’t say for sure. It may alter the taste and texture. If you try it, let me know how it goes 🙂
kristy wong says
can i substitute caster sugar with other sugar? such as raw coconut sugar and etc. or can i substitute it with honey?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kristy, you can user granulated sugar instead of caster sugar. I haven’t tested it with any other sugar or sugar substitute so I really can’t say. I don’t recommend using honey instead as it will change the texture and structure of the cake. Here’s a blog post I wrote about caster sugar that you might find helpful.
Michelle says
Lovely recipe! The cake came out beautifully. Does it need to be stored at room temperature or in the fridge? Thanks for the awesome recipes.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Michelle, so glad you enjoyed it! I think either is ok, it will go a bit firmer in the fridge but it’ll still be lovely!
Bri says
Great cake, a new favorite for sure.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you liked it Bri!
Angela says
Does this cake require 240 grams of plain flour?
Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Angela, it’s just 140 grams of plain flour.
malou says
why did mine end up rubbery?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, it shouldn’t be rubbery but a cake made with ricotta will be dense and moist – not light and fluffy like a regular cake. Alternatively, you may have either over mixed the batter, over baked the cake or measured one of the ingredients incorrectly.
Jo says
Beautiful and moist cake even my dud oven coped with.
I added in a punnet of blueberries since I had some in the fridge.
Jessica Holmes says
I love the idea of adding blueberries! Thanks for the lovely feedback Jo!
Hillary says
Hie,Jessie.l would like to ask what Ricotta is?? Or if its got another name.l am in Zimbabwe and have never heard of that ingredient here.Want to try the recipe as well but without knowing what Ricotta is,all will be pointless
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Hillary, ricotta is a soft cheese. I’m sorry to hear it’s not available in Zimbabwe. Maybe you could try my Lemon Loaf recipe instead.
Chloe says
Hi Hillary, you can make ricotta at home super easily (and so much better than store bought) if you’re still wanting to try this cake! All you need is milk, cream, lemon and salt. I use this recipe, though I end up using about double the lemon juice to curdle the milk (love a good lemony ricotta)
Courtney says
Hello! Would this cake work well to layer & stack? And what flavour buttercream do you think might go with it? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Courtney, you could stack this cake but it’s quite dense and dessert-like, not light and fluffy like a regular cake. You could cover with whipped cream or a little lemon or raspberry buttercream.
MR says
Dear Jess,
I made this last night and didn’t need to use an electric mixer at all. The result was beautiful. I made a summer berry and passionfruit coulis to go with it – works very well. Thank you so much for sharing x
Jessica Holmes says
Aww so happy to hear that! Thanks for the lovely feedback – and a berry passionfruit couli sounds wonderful!!