Moist Lemon Ricotta Cake
This moist lemon ricotta cake is light and lemony, comes together in one bowl, and is perfect for serving next to a cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter room temp
- 2 cups Ricotta room temp
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 3 Eggs room temp
- 1 ¾ cups Flour
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep an 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until creamy.
- Strain the ricotta cheese from all the liquids add the ricotta cheese and salt to the mixture, and mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Add the room-temperature eggs, and lemon juice, and mix until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until the mixture is just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Do not overmix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 38-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the ricotta cake to chill at room temperature until it's not too warm, and top it with powdered sugar, and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs, ricotta and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Use fresh lemon zest and lemon juice for the best flavor. If you are using pre frozen lemon zest, double the amount of lemon zest in the recipe.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Zest your lemons carefully- When zesting the lemons, avoid the bitter white pith beneath the skin. Use a microplane or fine grater to get the most aromatic zest possible.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making this cake, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the batter.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to serve this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before cutting into the cake. This step prevents the cake from falling apart and allows it to keep its texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 10gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 408mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 718IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 166mgIron: 2mg
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