I’m totally addicted to this lemon ricotta cake with sweet lemon glaze. It is so moist and bursting with bright lemon flavor!
I just can’t stop with this lemon cake. I’ve made the recipe three times in a week. Well, partially that was because I was testing the recipe to make sure it was just right before sharing it with you. But really, I think I just wanted to keep eating it!
My parents have a lemon tree and are always willing to share, because I’ve been going through fresh lemons like crazy. I wanted this ricotta cake to be bursting with bright lemon flavor, and I think I’ve succeeded. I added plenty of lemon juice and zest to both the cake and glaze, so each bite is full of sweet-tart lemon flavor without being sour or too sweet.
The ricotta keeps the cake extra moist and tender, and the almond flavor is there but subtle. This lemon ricotta cake is a must-make for spring. It would be a perfect addition to your Mother’s Day brunch or dinner, too.
Lemon Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour, or all-purpose flour (see note)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 2 medium lemons, about 1 tablespoon
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the glaze and topping:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, for topping
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F with an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, letting it hang up and over the sides on the two ends.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. The batter may be a little lumpy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Be sure to insert the tester all the way down to the bottom of the cake, as the top may be done but the bottom might still be gooey. If the cake is browning too much on top before the center is done, you can lay a piece of foil over the top as it continues baking.
- Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely on the wire rack before glazing.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Spoon glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Let glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Using cake flour makes this cake especially tender. I've also tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and it is a bit denser, but still very good.
- Store leftover cake wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
It’s so beautiful!! I’ve never used ricotta in baked goods but I can’t wait to try this cake! It looks so dense and so moist and so lemony! Pinned!
Thanks for the pin!
This lemon pound cake is absolutely delicious.
Couldn’t resist having a piece for my breakfast.
Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. Lemon treats are just perfect this time of year!
This? Looks absolutely amazing. I’m a fan of anything lemon (so jealous of your easy access to a lemon tree!). And you can tell from the photos how dense and moist it is from the ricotta. Definitely making this one day soon.
Yep, this is super dense and moist! I actually just baked this for the fourth time today, because I just had to share it with my work friends. I do hope you try it!
I baked your lemon-ricotta cake with almond glaze three times in one week! Once to practice and twice for guests. A success each time! The cake was well received by my guests and I had many requests for the recipe. I served it with fresh fruit salad. Thank you for a delicious and versatile cake recipe.
I am so happy to hear that you and your guests loved this cake, Maria! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment to let me know!
My sis and i made the cake last night, first time. Came out perfect, delicious capital D!!!!! Thanku! ?
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for letting me know. ?
Kristine, this looks beyond amazing! Don’t you just love when it’s time to test out recipes and the little nibbles here and there are still really delicious?! This looks like a winner… so pretty. I can just imagine the texture the ricotta cheese gives it. Thanks so much for sharing this lemony treat with us at the Show Stopper party, pinned and sharing on FB. 🙂
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! And thanks so much for pinning and sharing! You’re right, each of those taste tests along the way were completely delicious!
This is ONE DELICIOUS CAKE!! So fresh and sweet. I have a new favorite treat!
Thanks, Marlene! I’m so glad you liked it!
Your bright photos are beautiful Kristine! Love the combination of lemon and ricotta! Sounds delicious 🙂
Thank you, Shiran! Yeah, the lemon and ricotta are an amazing combo. Everyone I’ve made this cake for has loved it!
Today is Super Bowl XLIX. My wife (and I) loves anything lemon so I am heading out to the store to buy all the fixins to make this. It looks delicious. Will let you know how I do on it. I think, I’ll get some lemon curd and whipped cream for the topping.
This cake is one of our all-time favorites. I hope you and your wife love it as much as we do!
I just printed it out and am going to make it this morning. I’ve decided I’m going to substitute coconut oil for butter and reduce the sugar by 1/2. Will let you know how it turns out!
Those sound like great ways to make this cake a little healthier. I hope you loved it!
can you make this with reg all purpose flour, instead of having to use cake flour?
Using all-purpose flour will affect the texture of the cake. Cake flour has a lower protein content which gives a soft, light texture. You can make a cake flour substitute by measuring out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, removing 2 tablespoons of the flour, and adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in its place. Then it’s important to sift the flour a number of times (3-5) to ensure that everything is well mixed, light, and aerated.
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Hi there! I just made this pound cake recipe and while the taste is spot on and it looks gorgeous, mine caved in the middle and I’m not sure why. Do you know why this would happen? Thanks again!
I’ve never had a problem with this cake sinking in the middle, but there are lots of reasons why that can happen. It’s important to not open the oven door until the cake is almost done baking, old baking powder could be to blame, as well as overbeating the batter. A quick Google search can provide even more details. While I’m sorry your cake caved in the middle, I’m glad it still tasted good! 🙂
What size of loaf pan??
My pan is 1.5 quart, and measures 8.5×4.5×2.5 inches. Enjoy!
Could you double thus recipe and bake in a tube pan ???? Thanks, Angie
I’ve never tried that, so I’m not 100% sure. Maybe, but the baking time may be different.
This looks delicious! Do you think it would work and 6 inch or 8 inch pans?
Do you mean round cake pans? It may work, but the bake time would probably be less. This cake does have more of a dense texture, it is a very moist pound cake.
I loved this recipe. I decided to make dessert breads for Christmas visits and chose a lemon ricotta recipe. It was good, but when I made a second batch to use up the rest of the cheese I used this recipe and it blew the other one away! I love the subtle hint of almonds and the glaze worked really well.
Hi Jacqueline, I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂 Happy New Year!
SO GOOD! This was some of the moistest cake I’ve ever had. Took it to work and it disappeared in no time. Everyone loved it! Thank you for this excellent recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
I made three smaller cakeS. So cute. I’ll be taking them to Christmas dinner. Thanks for sharing, I had a little ricotta left and it was enough to make this tart little treat
Is is possible to freeze this delicious cake?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would freeze well.