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 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.
I’m proud of this 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 it’s the fresh lemons and creamy ricotta that changes everything. It creates a dense cake, with an enviable texture – not too wet but not dry.
To serve, you can simply dust the cake with powdered sugar, add a few fresh berries and a generous dollop of mascarpone cream. Heaven.
While I’ll always love a good chocolate cake or a slice of peanut butter cheesecake, this lovely Lemon Ricotta Cake is now on serious rotation in my house.
It’s also the perfect dessert for entertaining because you can easily make it ahead of time. In fact, it might even be nicer on day two.
Tips for making Ricotta Cake
- This cake has the tendency to stick to the pan, so make sure you grease the sides of your cake tin well with butter and line the bottom with baking or parchment paper.
- Adding fresh lemon juice means the cake batter might look a little curdled, but it’s totally fine.
- 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 the cake to cool completely in the cake tin as it will be quite fragile when warm.
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Let's Bake
Lemon Ricotta Cake
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
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 140 grams (1 cup) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 250 grams (1 cup) ricotta
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
Mascarpone cream
- 240 ml (1 cup) thickened or heavy cream
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) mascarpone
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar, to serve
- Fresh raspberries, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease an 8-inch round cake tin 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 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.
Julie Lawrence says
Can you use GF flour ?
Thanks 😊
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Julie, I haven’t tested this cake with gluten free flour so I can’t say. It does react differently to regular flour though so it may result in a different texture. If you do try it, let me know how it goes!
Yelena K says
hi! I am an immature baker (quarantined baker) and Ive been really into making ricotta deserts lately. am SUPER eager to try your recipe! I’ve made an almond ricotta cake last night after making raspberry ricotta cake earlier in the week. I have a question for an experienced baker like you, because it drives me insane why my baked goods turn out differently every time.
I did notice one recipe told me to whip the ricotta butter and sugar for five minutes, then adding the flour mixture and beating that in as well. My cake turned out more dense than when I mildly whipped the ricotta and folded in the flour mixture rather than mixing it for my raspberry ricotta cake.
Do you suggest not whipping the ricotta so much? In your recipe you mix the flour mixture rather than folding it, but at a low speed. Is that so the cake is lighter?
Also, your sides are absolutely perfect! Mine for some reason cave in from time to time. Do you know why that might be happening?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I hope you enjoy this recipe! Yes I recommend mixing on a low speed to prevent over mixing and to keep the cake soft and moist.
Shaunie says
Hello can you freeze portions of this cake as it’s only for my 2 children so will only need 6 portions over the 3 days.
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely!
Kendall says
I was really excited to make this. It looks like your picture but it’s a very dense cake. It’s cooked through but almost squidgy..strange texture. Could my ricotta have been to wet? I have pictures but cannot post them on here
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Kendall, yes it’s a dense and moist cake! It’s shouldn’t be wet though, perhaps it’s a little under baked? You can send me a photo if you like and want to troubleshoot further – [email protected]
Alan says
I had to cook longer, 45 to 50 mins
Before skewer was clean.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Alan, that’s ok, every oven is different so always just use oven times as a guide. Hope you enjoyed it!
Ruzica says
Omg, that cake turned out absolutely beautiful and the best tasting I ever made in my life.
I used whole meal flour and it’s given it a little more texture,,just love love, thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
Aww that makes me so happy! Thank you for your lovely feedback!!
Julie says
Delicious cake, the only thing is your recipe was missing salt so I added a half teaspoon and that made it perfect. I actually did add a little more lemon juice because I love a very lemony cake so it was more like 4 tablespoons but absolutely delicious
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Julie!
Jazz says
Amazing cake!!
Love the taste and consistency…
I put the oven at 340 instead of 350F, because the previous cakes I’ve made were burnt.
But this one I should have followed your instructions. Because of my mistake, the cake was underdone in the middle.
I am going to bake the next one at 350F and it will be perfect! Thanks for this recipe
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Aww so glad you like it Jazz! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Tish says
Absolutely devine!
I made exactly as recipe but with thermomix
Place the butter, vanilla and sugar into the TM bowl. Mix on Speed 4 for 20 seconds, scrape down the bowl and repeat for a further 20 seconds. Should look pale and creamy.
Reduce to Speed 2 and leave running while addIng the eggs through the MC hole – 1 at a time. – approx 2 mins.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and ricotta on speed 2 -3 until mixed.
Add the milk speed 3, 10 seconds- just combined.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Tish!
Tish says
Thank you! Also my friend also made with strawberries instead of lemon and also turned out great!!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh I love that idea!
Llsa Cummings says
So light and refreshing and easy to make!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!
Claire says
Hi Jess, I made this to use up some ricotta and the texture is very odd – like pudding rather than cake! I followed the recipe exactly except for substituting demerera sugar for caster as I had none. I had to cook it for 45 mins before a skewer came out clean. Any ideas where it might’ve gone wrong?
★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Claire, oh I’m sorry to hear that. The demerara sugar may have made a difference since it has a molasses in it. Or it could be due to the type or brand of ricotta you used? This cake is more moist than a regular cake but shouldn’t be like pudding.
Alex says
Can you make this the day before or best on the day?
Jessica Holmes says
It’s fine to make it the day before Alex, you can store it in the fridge.
Phil says
Your recipe says 140g (1 cup) plain flour, which is correct?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes?
Elspeth Zemla says
Hi there, could this recipe be frozen once baked and cooled, if so for how long
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Elspeth, I haven’t tried it myself (it always gets eaten too fast) but I think it would be fine!
Jo says
Lovely cake, served with crème fraîche and raspberries.. Everyone wanted the recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that! Thanks Jo!