Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake
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A cake that have your back
This Raspberry Almond Ricotta Cake is moist and light with an incredible texture. You wouldn't believe it’s final texture when you see the dense and thick batter entering the oven, but the ricotta brings so much lightness to this cake that makes it perfect for breakfast or snacking any time. And is so incredibly effortless to make, that trust me, once you make one, you will be baking it in repeat. It’s the perfect cake for the upcoming summery days!
You know why ricotta cakes are perfect for me, and there’s a good chance for you too? Because you can make them with almost whatever the heck you want! You know cooking and baking is always an adventure to me and I can’t help but to be always experimenting when I’m on it.
And I know this is you most of the time as well! That’s why ricotta cakes are perfect for us! They are so versatile, you can play with the additions pretty safely without compromising the cake. If you have an excellent recipe for ricotta cake, you’ll always keep it very close to your heart! You’ll have it under you sleeve for those times that you have to impress in no time!
You can do this ricotta cake if you have a lot of ricotta cheese hanging in your fridge waiting for some action. This is a perfect way to use ricotta in other expected places like in pastas. You can play around with fruits, nuts, flavorings, chocolate chips or spreads like peanut butter or Nutella. I’ve been wanting to make a ricotta cake with raspberries for a while now and I couldn't help myself when I put my hands on some perfectly plumped and juicy raspberries!
How to prevent ricotta cakes from sinking
Even if this cake has a pretty dense batter, it has a lot of moisture. More if you add fruits, especially ones that release liquid fast such as raspberries. That’s why this cake has a very special texture. It’s gooey and creamy, especially at the top. It’s sticky and buttery and you might think that the cake is still raw. But if you follow the recipe exactly and the cake has been in the oven for more than an hour, you have to trust the cake is done. Even if the toothpick comes out almost clean, the surface will still be gooey. And for me that’s the best part!
It is because of this that ricotta cakes are prone to sinking. To prevent ricotta cakes from sinking, do not over mix the batter and work with ingredients somewhat chilled. If the ingredients are warm, the batter will be runny and not as dense as it’s suppose to be. It’s a recipe that needs to be treated gently. Read below the step’s details.
Making my Lemon Raspberry Almond Ricotta Cake
Your pan should be ready to go when the batter is done because it shouldn’t wait too long outside the oven, so start by greasing or lining with parchment paper a 9” springform cake or any 9” cake pan. I prefer a springform just to not be messing around with the almonds on top.
Preheat oven to 350° at this point as well.
The butter should be barely soft. As soon as you can press it with your finger, it’s ready to use, even if it still feels cool. DO NOT let it turn too soft or warm.
Start the batter by combining the flour, salt and baking powder.
Next beat the butter and sugar together according to the times in the recipe below. Do not over beat because you don’t want to incorporate too much air to the batter. Incorporate the rest of the wet ingredients.
For this version I used ¼ teaspoon of almond emulsion besides the vanilla extract. You can leave it out completely.
I added the dry ingredients by sifting them with a large sieve over the wet ingredients, mixing between additions to prevent over beating.
End by adding the raspberries. You can use fresh or frozen. Keep them chilled or frozen until ready to use. This helps in keeping the batter cooled down.
If you want you can top the cake with sliced almonds and a coarse grain sugar such as Demerara or turbinado. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes. When you test for doneness make sure your toothpick comes out clean after you insert it through the middle of the cake, but remember that the very top of the cake may look a bit raw. Try inserting the toothpick as deep as you can because testing the inside will be a more reliable way to tell. It will look wet until the last 10 minutes or so of baking. Resist opening the oven door before the hour.
How to Store Ricotta Cake
You can store this ricotta cake airtight over the counter for a day. After that you can wrap it tightly with plastic cling paper to keep in the moisture and store in the fridge.
You can reheat in a 300° countertop oven for a few minutes to restore the crispiness of the edges and gooeyness of the center. Add a spoon of fresh whipped cream or more fruits and confectioner’s sugar for a touch of freshness!
What you’ll need:
My 9” Springform pan. Necessary for making cheesecakes as well.
A large sturdy-but-pretty golden sieve.
My reliable food scale. It has the tare function, which makes measuring ingredients a breeze.
If using parchment paper, use this pre-cut parchment paper, it’s a life saver.
3 recipes I think you’ll love if you’re loving this one:
Blueberry Almond Ricotta Cake
Plum Ricotta Cake
Ricotta Spiced Baked Donuts
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This is a pretty special cake! It’s so humble but I can assure you it never dissapoints. Is what slow-living should be all about, even if only for the moment it takes to taking a bite of it.
When you bake it and taste the magic, share it with everyone and don’t forget to tag me in Instagram (@devamadeo) and Facebook (@DevAmadeo). Until the next recipe!
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Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
◯ All-purpose flour, preferably unbleached – 2 cups / 303 g + about 1 Tsp to coat the raspberries
◯ Raspberries – 2 cups, 260 g
◯ Baking powder – 1 Tsp / 4 g
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ Tsp / 3 g
◯ Unsalted butter, barely softened (see notes) – 8 TBSP (1 stick) / 115 g
◯ Lemon zest - 2 TBSP, about the zest of 2 large lemons
◯ Natural granulated sugar – 1 ½ cup / 319 g
◯ Eggs, barely at room temperature – 2 / 98 g total
◯ Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp / 4g
◯ Almond extract (optional) – about ¼ Tsp to ½ Tsp, depending on your preference
◯ Ricotta cheese – ¾ cup / 189 g
◯ Vegetable oil – ¼ cup / 2 oz / 65mL
Optional:
◯ Coarse grain sugar such as turbinado or Demerara for the top before baking - about 1 to 2 TBSP
◯ Sliced almonds for the top before baking – about ¾ cup
◯ Powdered sugar to dust after baked
◯ Whipped cream to serve
Details
Yield:
a 9” springform pan, 10 to 12 pieces
Total time:
1 hour 20 minutes
Active time:
20 minutes
Baking time:
1 hour
Equipment:
stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, 9” springform pan.
Steps:
Preheat oven at 350°. Grease with plenty of butter a 9” springform or regular cake pan or line it with parchment paper. You can use baking spray as well.
Mix the raspberries with the teaspoon of flour.
In a medium bowl mix the remaining 2 cups/303 g of flour, the 1 teaspoon/4 g of baking powder and the ½ teaspoon of salt/3 g with a hand whisk.
Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the 8 tablespoons/115 g of barely softened butter in slowest speed for about 30 seconds. You just want to cream it a little bit. Add the 1½ cup of sugar and beat for about a minute, until the butter and sugar form a thick grainy paste. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time. Add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla, the ¼ teaspoon of almond extract (if using), the ¾ cup of ricotta and the ¼ cup of oil and mix until combined. Place a large sieve on top and add about a cup of the dry mixture. Gently mix until combined. Repeat this two more times. As soon as the last addition is mostly incorporated stop the mixer and finish mixing it very gently with a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Mix until there are a few flour streaks visible. Be sure to scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the berries and gently fold them into the batter.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Arrange some extra raspberries on top and sprinkle the course tablespoon of sugar if desired. Arrange the sliced almonds around the border of the cake, or if you prefer through the whole top. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean after you inserted it through the center of the cake (mine was done at 65 minutes). Remember that the area right beneath the berries could be a bit gooey, but it doesn’t mean the batter is raw.
Retire from oven and let it cool down a few minutes before removing from springform pan. Dust some powdered sugar before serving. Store in a cool area the first day then wrap it in cling paper and store it in the fridge, it will be good for a week.
You may whip some cream and spread on top!
