This easy Lemon Ricotta Cake skips the butter in favor of olive oil and adds almond flour, giving it a moist, tender crumb with a subtle nutty flavor that sets it apart from classic versions. Plus, no mixer or springform pan required!
I fell in love with almond flour in French pastry school. It’s used in many classic French fillings and desserts, but one of the things I love most about it is how just a small amount gives a cake the perfect texture. So, when I set about creating a lemon ricotta cake recipe, I decided to put an Italian spin on my classic French Yogurt Cake. With a few substitutions and adjustments based on the addition of ricotta into the batter, I developed a lemon ricotta cake recipe that is lightly sweet and lemony.
5 years later, this cake is a staple at our family Easter celebration, and a go-to when I need a simple cake recipe that delivers Italian elegance. A dusting of powdered sugar is all this cake needs to shine.
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Why You'll Love This Lemon Ricotta Cake
- One-Pan Cake: I’m a big fan of one-pan cakes that don’t require much time or effort to pull together. You can frost them, or not. And they won't be in your house for days, staring at you!
- Easy but Elegant: This recipe is dead easy to make (no mixer required!), but is pretty enough for a special occasion, especially if you dress it up with whipped cream or berries.
- Healthy-ish: Yes, it's a cake, but with no frosting on top and almond flour and ricotta cheese in the mix, this is a sweet treat you won't feel guilty about eating.
Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Ricotta Cheese: I prefer whole milk ricotta for this recipe, but beware, ricotta cheese can be quite different between brands. Some are more dense, with a small curd, and some are lighter and fluffier. In general, higher quality ingredients will produce a higher quality cake. Test this recipe with your favorite version of ricotta, and try another brand if you don’t think the texture is quite right. Or, you can make your own (see FAQ below).
- Almond Flour: Almond meal and almond flour are terms used for the same thing—both mean finely ground almonds. The majority of almond flour products are made by finely grinding blanched almonds (almonds where the skins have been removed). Almond meal can mean finely ground blanched or unblanched almonds, and almond meal may be a coarser grind than almond flour. In general, I prefer almond flour for my baking recipes.
- Olive Oil: Choose a mild olive oil for baking (unless you love the flavor of strong olive oil!). No need to buy an expensive, fancy one at the store either—just a basic olive oil is fine.
- Lemons: I love the bright flavor of this lemon cake, but you could change it up with other flavors as well. Try orange juice/zest instead or leave out the lemons and add a teaspoon of almond extract for an almond ricotta cake.
How to Make Easy Ricotta Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan (or springform pan) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup (125 grams) of all-purpose flour, ½ cup (48 grams) of almond flour, ¾ cup (160 grams) of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt, and whisk gently.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 packed cup (230 grams) of ricotta cheese, 3 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, and 3 ounces of olive oil until the oil is fully incorporated.
Then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and stir just until the batter comes together.
Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (When you gently press the middle of the top of the cake with your finger, the cake should feel solid underneath and should spring right back up when you remove your finger.)
Remove lemon cake from oven and put onto a cake rack to cool. It may have some cracks on the top—don't worry, the dome on the cake will fall slightly as it cools, and the cracks will virtually disappear. After 15 minutes, when cake is still warm, invert cake pan onto a plate to unmold. Remove the parchment paper and then flip the cake right-side up again. Let cake cool completely, then sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.
Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe FAQs
Ricotta cheese is actually one of the easiest cheeses you can make at home. You can make it with just whole milk and lemon juice. And, you can control its texture by deciding how long to drain it. Here’s a great article from the Kitchn that walks you through it.
While both ricotta cake and cheesecake include cheese in the batter, the resulting texture and flavor is quite different. For most cheesecake recipes, cream cheese makes up the majority of the batter, and no flour is added. That makes the texture creamy and custardy, and not really like a cake at all. While a ricotta cake uses ricotta cheese in the batter, it also usually includes flour, which contributes to a texture that is still cake-like, if very tender. In addition, cheesecakes usually have a crust, while a traditional ricotta cake does not. Of course, you can combine the two and use ricotta cheese in a cheesecake recipe as well.
Serving Suggestions for Ricotta Cake
This lemon ricotta cake needs just the simplest garnishes to shine. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with fresh berries: raspberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries are all perfect with this cake. Dollop the cake with whipped cream or serve with vanilla ice cream or a lemon sorbet. Garnish with chopped toasted hazelnuts or pistachios. If you want to get fancy, try topping with candied lemon slices or drizzling with a strawberry coulis or cherry compote. Want to try a glaze for this cake? Whisk together powdered sugar with a few drops of lemon juice to make a lemon glaze.
How to Store Lemon Ricotta Cake
This Italian lemon ricotta cake does not need to be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. It will last at least 3 days at room temperature—the ricotta and almond flour in the cake will keep it moist! If you want to store it longer, you can keep it in the refrigerator for a few more days. Note that if you think you will have leftovers, don't sprinkle the entire top with powdered sugar. The sugar will melt into the cake over time and leave the top a bit soggy.
Can you freeze Lemon Ricotta Cake?
Yes, this ricotta cake freezes well. Make sure cake is fully cooled first, and don't sprinkle with powdered sugar. Then wrap slices tightly with plastic wrap or store in freezer bags. Cake will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then leave out at room temperature before serving.
Expert Tips for Easy Ricotta Cake
If you don’t have a kitchen scale yet, and you enjoy baking, I encourage you to buy one. In recipe testing my baked goods, I measure my ingredients time and time again. I am always surprised when my measurements do not match what I can find on the Internet.
For example, King Arthur Flour tells me that 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 grams, but the Cooks Illustrated baking chart tells me it weighs 142 grams. When I used my measuring cup to spoon and level my flour into it, I came out with 150 grams. (?!) I’ve used King Arthur Flour’s recommendations in my recipe to convert into cup measures, but I encourage you to use the weights when measuring as much as possible.
Measurements get even trickier with ingredients like almond flour and olive oil, which come in many different versions. As a bonus, when you measure using a scale, there are fewer dishes to wash! You can measure ingredients directly into the bowl on your scale, and zero out the scale before you add each new ingredient.
Wondering what else you can do with ricotta cheese? I seem to always have an open, half-used container in my fridge, and often forget to use it. But, in fact, there are some great ways to use extra ricotta cheese. Check out the following ideas:
- add to pancake batter
- mix with eggs and herbs for lasagna filling
- turn into this Whipped Ricotta Dip (extra flavor thanks to goat cheese!)
- spread on pizza dough before topping your pizza
- mix with lemon zest and serve on crostini, drizzled with honey
- make ricotta gnocchi
- make Sweet Pea Ricotta Crostini or Red Radish Crostini with Lemon Ricotta
- serve dollops on softly scrambled eggs
Also, there are so many delicious dessert recipes with ricotta cheese! Cheesecake of course, but you can also try ricotta in tiramisu or mix with whipped cream to top fresh fruit. Or how about cannolis or ricotta cheese fritters? So many possibilities!
🧁Other Delicious Cake Recipes
If you’re looking for other ideas for show-stopper cakes that are surprisingly easy to make, check out one of these favorites?
And if lemon is your jam, don't miss my Lemon Blueberry Crêpes or my Lemon White Chocolate Cookies! These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are also delicious.
If you try this Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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Easy Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing pan
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces full-fat ricotta cheese (about 1 packed cup)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 ounces olive oil
- Powdered sugar to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius.
- Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk gently.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil until the oil is fully incorporated.
- Then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and stir just until the batter comes together.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is golden brown and springy.
- Remove cake from oven and put onto a cake rack to cool.
- After 15 minutes, when cake is still warm, invert cake pan onto a plate to unmold. Remove the parchment paper, then flip right-side up again.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.
Video
Notes
I really encourage baking with weight measurements instead of cup measurements whenever possible. You will find that your baked goods are much more consistent when the ingredients are weighed. Invest in a baking scale, and you won't regret it!
When you remove the cake from the oven, it may have some cracks on the top—don't worry, the dome on the cake will fall slightly as it cools, and the cracks will virtually disappear.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
DJ says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! So easy and sooo yummy!
Chef Molly says
Thanks so much for commenting! So glad you loved it.
Mel says
what adjustments in measurements, if any, would I have to do for a standard Bundt cake pan?
Chef Molly says
Hi Mel, a standard bundt pan holds more batter than a nine-inch cake pan (about 10-12 cups vs 8 cups). So I think you'd want to do 1.5x the recipe and then just fill the bundt pan to the level you normally do when baking in it. It will take more time to bake, so add 5 minutes to the bake time, then check it and see how it's doing. When a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, it's done. Let me know how it goes!
DJ says
Can't wait to try this, just wanted to check a measurement. The recipe indicates ½ cup (3.5 ounces) olive oil, but 1/2 cup is 4 ounces. How much olive oil do you use?
Thank you.
Chef Molly says
Oof, thanks DJ for pointing that out. 4 ounces is correct!
Ann Z says
Would orange juice and zest be an ok substitute for the lemon? Or would that make a too sweet cake???
Chef Molly says
I think it would still be lovely, though probably yes a little sweeter. You could try doing mostly orange juice with just a little lemon juice added in? Or add a small amount of white wine vinegar with the orange juice.
Rose STILLA says
Can I use all regular flour I can’t use almond flour because my granddaughter is allergic to nuts?
Chef Molly says
Yes, you can! You may not need as much regular flour as almond flour though, as they absorb liquid differently. Start with an extra 1/4 cup of regular flour, and then add more until the batter is the consistency of what you see in the photo.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Sounds like a great dessert to try. My husband prefers desserts that are not too complicated and this lemon ricotta cake is perfect.
Chef Molly says
Yes, this is a simple cake, but so delicious. Sometimes simple is best!
Ali says
I used 50g less ricotta and 1/2 the sugar and substituted 100g mashed ripe banana instead. I also used a gluten free flour mix and baked it in a Bundt tin. The batter was able to support a sprinkling of flaked almonds. It worked out wonderfully. This recipe will now be my go-to lemon cake recipe. Thank you.
Chef Molly says
Excellent! Love your substitutions, and I bet this is gorgeous in a Bundt tin! Thanks so much for commenting. 🙂
Amber says
Delicious! I used 3/4 almond flour, 1/2 cup AP flour, and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup.
Chef Molly says
Good to know! Thanks for posting, and so glad you enjoyed this cake.
Tee says
Can I bake this in a loaf pan or bundt pan?
Chef Molly says
I think a loaf pan would be fine--just make sure you don't overfill it (keep it 3/4 full at the most). And it may need more time to cook since it's deeper. I'm worried you might not have enough batter for a bundt pan, and even if you have enough, it might crack quite a bit at the top because of the shape. I'd try the loaf pan first!
Michele C says
Love this cake!! Made it with lemon and lime for a bday. I double the recipe so it is tall. Also, whip the sugar and olive oil first, then add ricotta and whip five minutes, then add eggs one by one, then zest, juice and vanilla. By the time you add the flours, the batter is light and fluffy. Made a raspberry coulis to go with, upon request. So good!!
Chef Molly says
Love the addition of lime in your version, and your whipping technique as well. And that raspberry coulis! Sounds absolutely delish.
Bridget R. says
Followed the recipe to a "t" and the cake came out perfectly. Great for after a weeknight dinner or a light lunch. Moist, delicious, not too sweet and soooo simple to make. Adding this to my baking rotation!
Chef Molly says
Yay! So glad to hear that. I love this one too!
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
This lemon cake looks perfect, thanks for sharing!
Chef Molly says
It's one of my favorites! Do try it if you get a chance.
Kathleen Fox says
I mean flour.
Kathleen Fox says
There is more sugar than flower.
Chef Molly says
Yes, just a bit. I did a quick lemon cake search to look at other recipes--most have right around equal parts of sugar and flour. That tart lemon flavor means you need to balance it out with perhaps more sugar than a regular vanilla cake. But this cake does not need a sugary frosting to enjoy, so hopefully that helps with total sugar consumption. Thank you for your comment--it really helps me to know any concerns readers have!
Alexandra says
This cake looks just delicious, Molly. Lemon and ricotta are a lovely combination. I can imagine enjoying a slice of this with a cup of tea!
Chef Molly says
Thanks Alex! I had a slice for a mid-afternoon break the other day, and it was perfect. ?
Michael says
Thank you for sharing!