Orange Ricotta Cake is a delicious and light Italian orange cake made with ricotta cheese and fresh orange. This cake is simple to make and perfect for any occasion!
Italian Orange Ricotta Cake is a simple and tasty recipe that’s great for a light dessert or sweet breakfast treat. It’s a simple and elegant recipe that’s full of flavor and so easy to make.
If you love easy Italian desserts, be sure to try this Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake, Italian Pear Cake, classic Torta Margherita, or these Italian Thumbprint Cookies. For more orange essence desserts, check out this Cannoli Pound Cake or No Bake Cannoli Cheesecake.
Why You Need to Make Orange Ricotta Cake!
One bite of this Orange Ricotta Cake and you’ll be hooked! It’s subtly sweet with a simple orange essence without being overpowering.
I like flavor this cake with orange zest and juice so that you get that hint of orange taste that’s smoother than orange extract. You can adjust how much zest you are using based on your taste preferences.
If you’ve never baked with ricotta cheese, now is the time! This secret ingredient makes cakes extra fluffy and soft without adding extra oil.
Orange Ricotta Cake is one of those treats that stays moist for days. The flavors actually develop more the longer it sits making it great for baking ahead.
This is a great recipe to have on hand for special occasions or just for a midday snack. It’s perfect for a light dessert or brunch too.
If you love light and fluffy cakes with an orange essence, you’ve got to give this recipe a try. I guarantee you’re going to love it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ricotta Cheese: whole milk ricotta cheese is best in this recipe. Be sure to drain your ricotta over a fine mesh sieve before using.
- Butter: use unsalted room temperature butter. If you only have salted, just omit the additional salt in the recipe.
- Sugar: granulated sugar works best for the batter.
- Orange: one large orange will give the two tablespoons of zest and quarter cup of juice needed for the recipe. I recommend using an organic orange if possible.
- Eggs: use three large room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla: this adds a delicious subtle flavor to the cake.
- Baking Soda: make sure you are using baking soda and not baking powder here.
- Kosher Salt: omit the additional salt if using salted butter.
- Flour: all purpose flour works in this recipe. Measure out the flour for the most accurate amount.
- Powdered Sugar: finish off your cooled orange ricotta cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You could also top individual slices with whipped cream.
How to Make Orange Ricotta Cake
This classic Italian Orange Ricotta Cake is a simple recipe that made in just one mixing bowl. To start, grease a standard 9 inch springform pan with butter and dust with powdered sugar; set aside.
Step 1: whip the ricotta
First, use a handheld mixer to mix together the room temperature butter and sugar. Then, add in the drained ricotta cheese.
Use the mixer on medium high speed to beat together the ingredients until light and fluffy. This will take 4-5 minutes.
Step 2: add in remaining ingredients
Next, add in the eggs, vanilla, orange juice, orange zest, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix until well combined.
Then, stir in the flour. Mix until the ingredients just come together. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Step 3: pour into prepared pan and bake
Pour the orange ricotta cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 50-55 minutes.
Step 4: cool on wire rack
You know the cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.
Place the cake on a wire rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Then, loosen the edges of the pan using a butter knife and remove the collar. Let the cake cool compltely.
Once the cake has cooled, dust the top with powdered sugar. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Ricotta: make sure you are using well drained ricotta for this recipe. If the ricotta is too wet, the cake will not bake properly.
- Mixing: it’s important that you mix the ricotta in with the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. This can take anywhere from 4-5 minutes. Taking this extra step will keep the cake light and fluffy rather than dense.
- Orange: A large orange should be sufficient to give two tablespoons of zest and a quarter cup of juice. If you love orange flavor, you can add a teaspoon of orange extract to the cake as well.
- Baking: once the batter is prepared, pour into the prepared pan and bake immediately. If you wait too long, the baking soda will become inactive leaving you with a dense cake. You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cooling: let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then, run a knife around the inside edge of the cake and remove the collar. Let cool completely.
- Serving: serve your orange ricotta cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You can also top with a dollop of whipped cream.
- Storage: leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or you can refrigerate for up to a week. Freeze cooled cake in an airtight container for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best to use whole milk ricotta when making a ricotta cake. The ricotta is a crucial ingredient in the cake and cannot be substituted with other types of cheese.
Yes, it’s important to drain the excess liquid from the ricotta cheese to prevent the cake from becoming too moist.
Yes, you can use a regular cake pan lined with parchment paper to make a ricotta cake.
Yes, you can freeze a ricotta cake for up to a month. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil before freezing.
More Ricotta Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or review in the comments section further down the page.
Orange Ricotta Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (one and a half sticks)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons orange zest (from one large orange)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice (from one large orange)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (205 grams)
- powdered sugar for dusting top of cake
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, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the drained ricotta cheese and mix together until on medium high speed for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing the collar and base of the pan. Cool on a wire rack completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Ricotta: make sure you are using well drained ricotta for this recipe. If the ricotta is too wet, the cake will not bake properly.
- Mixing: it’s important that you mix the ricotta in with the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. This can take anywhere from 4-5 minutes. Taking this extra step will keep the cake light and fluffy rather than dense.
- Orange: A large orange should be sufficient to give two tablespoons of zest and a quarter cup of juice. If you love orange flavor, you can add a teaspoon of orange extract to the cake as well.
- Baking: once the batter is prepared, pour into the prepared pan and bake immediately. If you wait too long, the baking soda will become inactive leaving you with a dense cake. You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cooling: let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then, run a knife around the inside edge of the cake and remove the collar. Let cool completely.
- Serving: serve your orange ricotta cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You can also top with a dollop of whipped cream.
- Storage: leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or you can refrigerate for up to a week. Freeze cooled cake in an airtight container for up to a month.
Good afternoon, just made this cake and smells amazing. When I let it cool it fell in and cutting it reveal a dense hard cheesecake like texture. What did it do wrong? I didn’t have enough ricotta !5 oz so I made up, (6 oz of ricotta) the rest with cottage cheese which mimics ricotta in baking. Can you think of anything else that could’ve gone wrong?
Hi Joesy. Unfortunately you can’t use cottage cheese in place of ricotta for baking. While that may work for cooking in recipes like manicotti or lasagna, when baking you need the fat content from the ricotta. Also, cottage cheese is much more runny than ricotta. These are probably the reasons why the cake turned out dense. I hope you’ll try again and it was delicious otherwise!
thank you for responding so quickly. I googled the replacement and that was the answer given along with greek yogurt. I should have gone with the yogurt lol. Angela, the cake tastes awesome and my husband loves it. He said it reminds him of Sicilian cheesecake. I will definitely make it again with just ricotta!!!! I have made your blueberry lemon cake and that was amazing as well. I’m on a quest to go through all your recipes lol. I think your site is one of the very best ones on the net and I mean that sincerely
There is a Superb texture and flavour to this delicious cake. I subbed half ricotta with Greek yogurt with great results and used smooth ricotta to avoid having to sieve it. Will be making again!(and again)
Thanks Jennifer. So happy you enjoyed it!