Luscious Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe May Give You "Baker" Status by Jan Mostrom

Have you wanted to try baking something incredible but maybe think it will be too hard or not worth the time? I’m here to tell you this creamy lemon ricotta cake recipe is so easy to make yet tastes like you're a seasoned baker (even if you're not) – and might just convince others of the same. It is the best ever!

This refreshing lemon cake is light and airy and has just the perfect amount of lemon and sweetness to make it a staple in your baking rotation. All you need to do is remember to take a few items out of the fridge about one hour before you're ready to bake, and the rest is laid out easily below. (And shhhh, it only takes 15 minutes to get it ready for the oven!)

To make this amazing lemon dessert, you will need the following simple ingredients: baking soda, salt, all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour), butter, granulated sugar, ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla extract and lemons for juicing and zesting. The beautiful cake bakes up in the oven in about 45 minutes.

Your friends and family may start referring to you as a baker after they taste what you've created. This lemon cake is amazing for dessert or as a sweet and tart snack with a cup of coffee or hot tea. This lemony cake would be heavenly topped with this luscious lemon whipped cream.

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 to 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I most often bake with gluten-free 1:1 flour)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk), at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• juice from 1 large lemon
• zest from 1 large lemon

Optional Garnishes

• powdered sugar
• whipped cream

Recipe Notes

Room temperature items make the batter blend more smoothly. If you forget to take eggs, ricotta and butter out ahead of time, don’t worry. Try these simple steps.

• For eggs, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

• The butter can be softened easily in the microwave by cooking in small amounts of time.

• The ricotta container can be set in a bowl of warm (not hot) water. If it’s not completely at room temperature it won’t blend as well, but it will taste just fine.

Here's how to make it: 


1. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl.
   
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium until completely combined.
   
4. Add the ricotta and mix on medium until mixture is light and fluffy. Add each egg, one at a time, making sure to blend the batter well between each one.
   
5. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla and blend.
   
6. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix until the dry ingredients are just blended. You want to make sure not to over-mix on this step.
   
   
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
   
8. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the cake to keep it from getting too brown on top. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
   
9. Cool for 15 minutes before releasing the springform to cool for another 30 minutes or more. Transfer to a platter and remove the bottom. Sift some powdered sugar on top and serve as-is or with a side of whipped cream.
   
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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