Cheesecake really confused me as a kid. I sprinkled mozzarella on my pizza and pasta, and I ate cake with ice cream at birthday parties. But combining the two?…
Did that mean topping the cake with slices of melted cheddar like I did with my morning toast? Or maybe folding shredded Monterey Jack inside like with a quesadilla so that it formed long cheesy strings when you cut a piece of the cake? Â
When an adult explained to me that cheesecake was made with cream cheese, I crossed that last mental image off of my list. (No strings attached—got it!) But I didn’t figure out the cheesecake conundrum until high school when I ate my first real slice.
Although a far cry from the dense, mousse-y texture of true cheesecake, this ricotta cake resembles one of my more reasonable definitions: a moist cake made with soft cheese as its main ingredient!
modified from this recipe
This cake has a subtle tang from the lemon and ricotta, plus a sophisticated flair from the almond drizzle. It’s perfect to serve to company, but it’s easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dessert too!
- To prepare the cake, combine the sugar, water, and lemon zest in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Let the sugar syrup cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and coat a 6-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar syrup, ricotta, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the egg, mixing well. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the drizzle, whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon of the water. Stir in more water, a little at a time, until the drizzle reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the bundt cake.
Hi your cake recipe looks so good! I’ve been looking for a healthy bundt cake recipe and yours is the first I have seen that doesn’t have spinach or something in it! I was wondering if the baking time would change if I use a 12 tin mini bundt cake pan? Thanks!
Yes, the baking time will be different if you use a 12-cup bundt pan, and the cake will be very thin and flat. Instead, I’d recommend doubling the recipe for your 12-cup bundt pan. The baking time may be slightly longer in that case, but it’ll be done when you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake Atrivedi!
My family loves this recipe! So glad I found it when looking for recipes to use leftover ricotta cheese. I changed it up a little and added cinnamon and/or maple syrup to the sugar syrup if I don’t have any lemon. Also we have usually 2 cups of cheese leftover so I dump it all in there. (I also add almond extract to the batter sometimes) I use a 8 or 9 inch cake pan and double it so there’s two layers and use the drizzle between them sometimes, if not whipped cream or frosting works too. Highly recommend this recipe -thanks again! 😀
I’m so glad you and your family love this cake Sab! That means so much to me that you’d take the time to let me know. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share your recipe modifications too — I always love hearing what tweaks work! Both the cinnamon twist and the two layers with whipped cream / frosting sound incredible!!
Hi Amy!
This riccota bundt cake looks wonderful. I’m going to the kitchen right now to make it. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I have extra ricotta and wanted to use it up.
Thanks,
Cookie
Thank you! I’m so excited to hear what you think of this cake Cookie! 🙂