This recipe for Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake is the BEST out there! Light, fluffy, and full of flavor, it is the perfect Italian dessert. Easy and simple recipe made with ricotta cheese and lemon.
This traditional recipe for Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake is sure to become your new favorite. I love to serve this at the end of a hearty Italian dinner, like Italian Turkey Sausage Meatballs; or even as a tasty breakfast treat.
This simple cake has an unbeatable flavor and texture combination thanks to the fresh lemon juice and ricotta cheese. If you’ve never had a lemon ricotta cake before, than this is the recipe for you to try.
What is Lemon Ricotta Cake?
Lemon ricotta cake is similar to a traditional lemon cake, however it is not as sweet and has a slightly denser texture. It’s a traditional Italian cake that is often served after the meal or with a piece of fruit for breakfast.
Traditionally, you’ll find this cake stored in glass pedestals on countertops in Italian kitchens. It’s a social cake that’s great as a snack or with served with a hot cup of coffee. Moreover, it’s a cake that keeps well both at room temperature and in the fridge. And, thanks to the ricotta, it stays moist and rich tasting.
How to make fluffy ricotta cake
The key to making a fluffy (not dense) ricotta cake is to beat the ricotta with the butter and sugar, before adding the other ingredients. It can take up to five minutes of beating to get the desired texture, so a handheld mixer or stand up mixer is ideal here.
Ricotta cakes are notorious for being dense and having a texture similar to a pound cake. However, this simple task of taking the time to whip air into the ricotta can make a world of difference in how your cake turns out.
While incorporating air into the batter can be done using a wooden spoon or whisk, I recommend breaking out your stand up mixer for this process. You could also use a handheld mixer on the highest setting. The key is patience… and a little bit of aggression!
You don’t need to be delicate with beating the ricotta. Just be sure to start with room temperature butter and, ideally, ricotta before starting.
Can I use part skim ricotta for ricotta cake?
While full fat ricotta cheese is ideal, you can use part skim ricotta cheese when making a ricotta cake. The key to making the texture right is to throughly beat the ricotta, butter, and sugar together before adding the other ingredients.
So, if you don’t have whole milk ricotta, don’t worry. Your cake will still be fluffy and delicious. However, if you have a choice, always opt for full fat dairy when baking.
Can I make a Lemon Ricotta Layered Cake?
You can absolutely use this recipe as a base for a delicious lemon ricotta cake. To do so, simply make the cake as instructed, but divide the batter evenly into two round cake pans that have been greased and lined with parchment.
Bake for about half of the normal baking time, 25-30 minutes. Test the cakes doneness using a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake.
This cake would be delicious with a limoncello or lemon cream cheese frosting. For a similar cake and frosting recipe, see Limoncello Ricotta Cake from This Delicious House. You can also get a similar recipe for Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake that uses a lemon glaze and candied lemon peel for texture.
How to make Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
To start, you will need to grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and powdered sugar. To do this, just use your hands to spread around about two tablespoons of butter. Then add in about a tablespoon of powdered sugar and move it around so that it adheres to the butter. Tap any excess sugar out of the pan.
If you don’t have a springform pan, you could always make this cake in a tall 9 inch cake pan lined with parchment. A bundt pan would also be a good alternative.
What I love about this recipe is how simple it is to make and how quickly it comes together. Everything is done in one bowl too, so less mess!
Firstly, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar. Next, add in the ricotta cheese. Now, and this is important, be sure to cream together the butter, sugar, and ricotta for four to five minutes to allow mixture to become light and airy. This is what will make the cake fluffy, rather than dense.
Next, add in the eggs, one at time, followed by the zest and juice of a lemon. I don’t really measure the zest or juice for this recipe. Just use the best looking lemon you can find and zest it right over the bowl using a microplane lemon zester. Once it’s zested, cut the lemon in half and use a handheld juicer to squeeze the lemon juice into the batter.
Stir in the dry ingredients. Pour the batter in your greased springform pan and bake for a little less than an hour.
Finishing off the cake
When the cake is done, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before loosening the collar. Move to a wire cooling rack to allow to cool completely.
Lastly, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake before serving. Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake would also be delicious served with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.
Store covered at room temperature for three days. To keep it fresh even longer, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Traditional Italian Desserts
This Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake is one of many delicious traditional Italian desserts. With Italian desserts, you’ll find that many have a cheese base (like ricotta or mascarpone) and incorporate fruit or citrus flavors. Additionally, these desserts will have an almond (amaretto) or anise flavor.
Here are some traditional Italian Desserts that are great for every occasion:
- Amaretti Cookies are the quintessential Italian cookie! And they are super easy to make using almond flour.
- Almond Ricotta Cake is similar to this Lemon Ricotta Cake but with a delicious almond flavor.
- Limoncello Ricotta Cookies are fluffy and cake-like cookie with an irresistible limoncello glaze.
- Classic Anisette Cookies are every Italian grandmother’s favorite treat! Full of flavor and great with coffee.
- Espresso Cupcakes are a fun take on traditional coffee cupcakes and use chocolate covered espresso beans.
- Orange Mascarpone Ciambella is a traditional Italian dessert that’s often served for breakfast.
- Limoncello Ricotta Cake is the perfect fluffy and moist cake with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
- Amaretto Pound Cake is a rich and dense cake with a hot butter amaretto glaze.
Hope you love this recipe. Comment below and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened 1 ½ sticks
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups flour
- powdered sugar for dusting top of cake (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan using butter and powdered sugar; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until combined. Add in the ricotta cheese and blend until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. In the same bowl, stir in the baking soda and salt. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of bowl to full incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar and base of the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Video
Notes
Wonderfully fluffy and delicious! I love anything lemon. Thanks for sharing!
this cake with lemon and ricotta looks so moist and soft, the perfect dessert to enjoy with afternoon tea!
I can’t wait to make this for brunch this weekend, looks amazing!!!
It’s the perfect brunch recipe! Enjoy!
This cake looks amazing! I am keeping it in mind for a Mother’s Day brunch in May– it would be perfect and my mom will love it.
I haven’t had ricotta cake in a long time! This looks so fluffy and delicious I can’t wait to make one!
Beautiful and delicious!
Made this today. It is a dense cake but it is incredible. I could have eaten the entire cake myself. Will definitely make again.
Good! loved sending to my daughter. ciao grazie
Doesn’t need baking powder?
Nope. The baking soda is plenty to help this rise. Hope you love the recipe!
Hi- it is unsalted butter just softened not melted correct?
Yes. Use room temperature butter for this recipe. Enjoy!
Hello…how much the Ricotta cheese on grames????
425 grams of ricotta
Can you use almond flour
I have never made this with almond flour but I can imagine it would yield a much more dense cake. However, I bet the flavor would still be great!
Can it be made in a regular cake pan ?
Yes. Just make sure to grease the pan well and place a baking sheet or foil underneath in case it spills over when baking. Let me know how it goes!
Was so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone to try something different, simply delicious 😋
Love the flavor but very dense. I was expecting it to be less dense and flurry but still delicious. What good cause the dense ness of it followed the recipe as specified
I don’t usually comment, but OMG. That was the best cake I’ve ever made. I ate 2 hearty slices and didn’t want to share. My picky son ate one bite and was hooked. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
So happy you all loved it! 🙂
The cake drops slightly. Do you think I have not cooked it long enough
It’s possible. It’s also possible that you didn’t beat the ricotta enough or the measurements were off. Hope you love it anyway!
Ladies this cake is AMAZING!! Made it the other night and it was done in one night… currently making another one today but will be swapping the lemon for orange.. yum
How do you store it? I’m making this for Easter 😊
Hi! You can just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Should last for up to a week this way. You can freeze leftovers if there are any. Enjoy!
I bake for weeks before Christmas and am trying this recipe for the first time. I need to freeze it, but think I could dust with icing sugar at the time of distribution. What do you think?
This cake freezes beautifully. Just defrost in the refrigerator up a day in advance and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Can this be made in cupcakes? Need individual servings for our “social distanced “ birthday celebration.
Yes, this would be great a mini cupcake cake. You may need to reduce the baking time to about 20 minutes, just use a toothpick to check for doneness. Enjoy!
I’ve made this cake 1/2 a dozen times and it’s always a hit! Thanks for sharing this recipe!! Have you ever made the batter ahead of time and then bake the next day?
So happy you love the cake! I don’t think it’s a good idea to make the batter ahead for this recipe. When using baking soda, you have to bake immediately otherwise it won’t rise correctly. However, the cake is delicious when baked ahead… it lasts at least a week in the refrigerator!
Can u substitute coconut sugar?
I’ve never cooked with coconut sugar, but assuming it’s a 1:1 substitution, it should turn out great!
Hi, I’d love to make this tomorrow.
What kind of flour do you use ? All purpose or cake flour? I have both and am wondering which would be a better texture for this cake….
I used regular all purpose flour for this recipe. Let me know how you love it!
Perfect instructions for this recipe. I had never baked with ricotta before and this cake turned out delicious! I will bake it again for sure! Thank you!
Easy to prepare and delicious! Everything as outlined in the recipe. Had forgotten how to neatly remove the base of the springform pan when I removed the collar. I slid a knife carefully between the bottom of the cake and the base, then put a dinner plate on top, inverted onto a piece of parchment and voila! Base easily taken off and then I slid the whole cake and paper onto a pedestal stand. I’ll trim the edges to hide the paper.
I am trying To get away from flour. Can I use either coconut flour or almond flour?
You’d have to refer to the manufacturers instructions on the quantity substitution of these ingredients for flour since all brands are different. I think it would turn out great, just may be a bit more dense than normal. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, can I use cottage instead of ricotta?
Looks delicious!
I’ve never tried that before but I think it would work. You would just have to blend the cottage cheese in a food processor first to get the right consistency.
This dessert cake was outstanding! I followed recipe to a T! Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Amazingly delicious. The perfect blend of sweetness and lemon!
What would be the baking time if this is baked in a bundt pan? Thanks!
Around 40-50 minutes. Test for doneness using a toothpick at 40 minutes and adjust from there.
I have a 10 inch springform. Can this work in the 10 inch?
Yes. Just adjust the baking time.
Perfect recipe, absolutely delicious. The only tweak I did was add the juice of 1 lemon,it added a little zing, and the batter was still just right.
I live in Hawaii and usually have to make alterations to my recipes because of altitude and humidity, to achieve success. This time, however, I followed the recipe exactly how it was written and it turned out perfectly! Two thumbs up!
yeah! So happy you loved it!!
Can you substitute the butter or some of the butter?
I’m not sure that would work. Sorry
Hi – I just got all ingredients to make this however – what sugar should I use? Caster or granulated?
Also, if I use SR flour, would this work?
Thanks so much 🙂
Just use regular granulated sugar. SR flour should work! Enjoy
Easy, moist and delicious! Recommend the recipe.
Hello, does the ricotta need to be drained or anything else done before using? I’m excited to try this!
I never usually drain the ricotta, just pour off any liquid that forms on top. That being said, you can absolutely drain it if you have time.
Very good. Light, not too sweet. Easy.
I don’t have any ricotta and want to make this tomorrow . Will yogurt work in place of ricotta??
You really need the ricotta for this cake. I would hold off making it until you can get some. Sorry
This cake was amazing. I added blueberries and can’t wait to make it again.
First time making this cake. I followedthe instructions to the T and I can’t be more please with the result. It is fluffy, not too sweet, fresh, light, moist and silky. I know that I will be making this cake over and over again. Love it. Thanks for the great recipe.
Turned out perfect! Sooo delicious, definitely doing again.
Made this in a silicone Bundt pan. AMAZING. Perfectly dense and delicious. I cooked up a blueberry compote to pour over. Oh. My. Word. I’m wondering where this has been my whole life!!!
Hi! Would you recommend using salted or unsalted butter?
Use unsalted if you have it.
Has anyone tried this with gluten free flour? If so, which brand as they all produce different results.
I have a tree nut allergy and a celiac in the house so I can’t use almond flour. Thanks for any suggestions.
I followed all instructions carefully, unfortunately my cake turned out extremely dense and heavy. While it was baking the aroma was incredible, and so I was really looking forward to sharing this cake with family. I’ll try baking it again at some point.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Making this for my daughter’s 33rd birthday hoping for something a little less sweet and lemon cake sounds great on a hot Florida day.
I hope she loves it!
This cake turned out amazing! So light, with the perfect amount of lemon. I did sift the flower, soda and salt before adding.
So happy you loved it, Anne! 🙂
I made the cake this evening and like the lady in the earlier post, it turned out dense and hea vy. Also the lemon taste wasn’t discernable. I don’t know what I did wrong. I used one and a half teaspoons of baking powder as couldn’t find baking soda. Maybe I didn’t cream the butter, sugar and ricotta for long enough?
Sorry to hear about that. It could be that you didn’t use enough baking powder to sub for the baking soda. Also, you really need to cream the ricotta so that it’s fluffy. I hope you give it another try… it’s a delicious cake!
This is a great recipe because it’s quick and easy to put together, but mine didn’t get done in the middle and I’m not sure why. This is the first recipe flop I have had in a very long time. I checked it at 45 min and could see by looking at it that it needed more time. Let it go the full 55 min and tested with toothpick and it came out clean so I started the cooking off process and the rim came off perfectly but when I flipped it over on the cooling rack and took off the bottom it was still soupy in the middle….put the bottom back on and put it in my air fryer and air baked it at 350 for 10 minutes but still soft in center when it cooled. Threw the middle away and are eating the rest which is delicious but what a mess. Will give it another try but not sure what went wrong. Followed directions exactly.
The best cake ever!!! Yes it is dense but its light at the same time, absolutely delicious!!! Can’t wait to make it again.
This cake was super easy to make and smells delicious 😋…. just came out of the oven👍🏼
Super easy to make and the family absolutely loved it. This will be a repeat dessert for sure!
Just made this today but used only 1 cup of sugar. Hands down the best dessert I’ve ever made. I love the lemony flavor and wasn’t too sweet and the dense pudding like texture was divine! My husband and I had to walk away from the kitchen so we wouldn’t be further tempted to polish off the entire thing in 1 sitting. I love that it was so easy and very little mess in the kitchen after. Love love love! Would this recipe work substituting with almond flour? (I believe the traditional version is almond or semolina flour?)
Thanks!
So happy you loved it! Traditional almond flour may be too dense. You could try substituting half flour and half almond flour and see how that works out.
One of the best recipes, turned out perfectly moist and lemony. Love it, it’s a keeper. Wish I could share a picture.
Can’t believe how easy this was to make!
Delicious!!! Not too tart or too sweet The cake was a big hit for a small family gathering. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely delicious, except it was dense. My family simply loved it.
Is there any difference between Baking Soda and Bi Carbonate of Soda.
Thank you for sharing this amazing Lemon Ricotta Cake rescipe.s
Made this today and it turned out perfectly. The crumb was light and the flavor is perfect. Hint of lemon and not too sweet. Followed the recipe exactly as written. This is a keeper!
Thank you, this recipe is fantastic! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
This cake is so so amazing. I made it once and planning to make again but maybe with less sugar. Will it affect the cake texture/rise or anything if I halve the sugar?
The best ricotta cake! I have made many versions and this is incredibly light and moist with perfect amount of lemon. We top it with fresh seasonal fruit. Gorgeous !
I’m so happy to hear that!
Amazingly fluffy and moist cake! The flavor is delicious without being cloyingly sweet. The first time I made it I followed the directions as written. The second time I made it I added a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. I love citrus flavors with chocolate and thought it would be a nice addition. Equally delicious!
YUM! What a great addition. So happy you loved it!
I’m making mine now!
Wonderful! Let me know how it turns out.
FABULOUS! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I’m not a huge dessert fan but this is just perfect. It’s not too sweet and the texture and flavor are wonderful
So happy you loved it! 🙂
I made this cake today and it was absolutely delicious! Will keep making it. Thank you!
hi there, how long would you bake it in a 8-inch tin? thanks 🙂
I would add about 5 minutes. But the best way to test for doneness is using a toothpick. Hope you love the cake!
I made this today and I found it to be wonderful. It was fluffy and full of flavor. I especially liked that the edges had a slight caramelization to to them to add texture.
I do want to say that I found the first reviews on this recipe to be very misleading. Many of the initial reviewers gave the recipe 5 stars but many of them state that they didn’t even make the recipe. You can’t claim that a recipe is outstanding when you have no idea if the actual recipe turns out or whether it tastes good. We need to be able to trust the rating system that if the recipe has a lot of 5-stars, then that should mean that it has been tested and approved by the reviewers. Fortunately, this one did pass my test with flying colors.
So happy you loved the cake!
Cannot wait to bake this tomorrow, it it OK to use almond flour?
I haven’t tried with almond flour. Let me know how it turns out for you.
The cake turned out delicious. It did sink a bit in the middle due to being slightly underbaked – 55 min is a must. To ensure it was not too dense (after reading comments) I decided to whip the egg whites and gently add them at the end. Might try to use baking powder as the taste of soda is a bit too strong in my opinion. Surely will be making it again.
Everyone in our house loved it! Delicious!
So happy to hear that!
This recipe is amazing. I doubled the recipe to make enough for a 3 layer cake with an almond buttercream and fresh sugared fruit. Recieved rave reviews from my guests. Will definitely make again!
What a great idea! I bet it was delicious!! Thanks for the great comment 🙂
Darn I bought part skim ricotta by mistake. Would that work? Excited to make this!!!!
Yes! That would absolutely work.
Went back to the store and bought whole milk ricotta. OMG this was amazing! Served it last night after a mediterranean feast. Eating leftovers for breakfast. Both equally appropriate and delicious. Thank you for posting this recipe.
So happy loved it! I like to eat it for breakfast too 🙂
My first time doing a ricotta cake and it was devine. Easy enough to make again easily and it was fluffy and beautiful.
I have just made this for my wife’s birthday. It really is an excellent cake, rich and moist but still light with a lovely balance of lemon and vanilla flavours that is very Italian. Many thanks for the recipe which looks foolproof (it didn’t beat me anyway). (I used self-raising flour and cut the soda out.)
Tremendous recipe and a great surprise for Thanksgiving. My friends loved it and so did we. Easy! Thank you…definitely will make it again!
I’ve made this twice in the last 2 weeks, and both times it has been a big hit. The texture is unique; it is not dense like a pound cake and not light like a layer cake – just moist and absolutely delicious! I love that it is not overly rich or sweet and does not require frosting. I’ll be using this recipe frequently, I’m sure! Thank you for sharing.
Hello! This is one of my favorite cakes EVER! But I’m having an issue. In order to get the middle to cook fully, the sides and bottom get hard/almost burnt. What do I need to adjust? I’m using a 9inch spring pan and baking at 350 for 50 minutes.
You can try wrapping the outer edge and top of the pan with foil during the last half of baking and see if that helps to even it out.
Can I use small amount of cream cheese with ricotta?
I’ve never tried that but it sounds like it would work!
Made this cake. Smells delicious. It was ready to come out of the oven at 40 minutes, I noticed it was starting to pull away from the sides of the cake pan. I used a 9″ x 3″ springform, good thing as the cake did indeed rise.
Going to make this for Christmas Eve dessert – will be adding biscotti crust and also raspberry jam topping with fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries – looking forward to this – sounds amazing!!
Hi i followed all the steps and actually rose nicely in the oven but one out it deflately quite a bit.
So i cut it to taste , the taste was there but the texture looked granular,dense and wet looking, like it was too much butter. when i added the flour i wood spooned in well i was afraid too over mix with the hand beater.
I ‘ll make it again because i wanat to perfect it. Any ideas??
Frank
Make sure that you are really using a hand mixer to mix the ricotta with the butter and sugar; mix for about 4-5 minutes. This will make the cake fluffy and not dense. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious. For this cake and others I make, when it has finished baking and the cake tester is clean, I turn off the oven and let it sit there for about 10 mins. or so. This way it cools down very slowly and there is no sinking in the middle. Just watch it carefully though. For an almond puff that I make it actually sits in the oven for about 1/2 hour and cools down very slowly. No dips in the middle. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tip! So happy you loved the cake 🙂