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?
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.
Can I use another kind of pan. I dont have a bundt pan…..I have square and round baking pans, spring pan. thanks
Yes! If following the recipe as written, use one 9″-round cake pan. If doubling, use two. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Made this cake yesterday. LOVE IT! So does my hubby! It is definitely worthy of its own recipe card!
(This is a big deal to me, only the best make it to my recipe box!)
Great with a cup of coffee!! Thanks Amy!!!
I’m so touched by your kind words Clara! That’s quite a compliment if this cake found its way into your recipe box. I hope you enjoy any other recipes of mine that you try too!
This cake is delicious! I poked holes in the cake while it was still warm and my lemon glaze soaked into the cake. A definite keeper. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! Lovely idea about poking the cake so the glaze soaks in!
Just found this recipe and made tonight and it was so good I had to post and say thank you! I love the texture and can’t wait to make it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake Maureen! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment; that means a lot to me. 🙂
Quick Question: Can I use whole (full fat) ricotta cheese with similar results?
Thanks,
Steph
Yes, that should work Steph! I’m excited to hear what you think of the cake! 🙂
Hi would whole milk ricotta work in this recipe? Thanks.
Yes! I’m excited to hear what you think of the cake Michele!
Made this today with key lime zest and juice instead of lemon b/c that’s what I had on hand. It was truly amazingly delicious. My whole family loved it!
I’m so glad you and your family loved the cake Deb! And thank you for sharing your picture with me on Facebook. It means a lot to me that you’d take the time to do that! 🙂
Can this be doubled and baked in a regular bundt pan?
Yes, that should work Rhonda! I’d love to hear what you think of the cake! 🙂
I just did this tonight and it worked perfectly. It’s cooling on the counter and we are looking forward to having it for dessert. The baking time was exactly the same as was listed in the recipe.
I’m so glad the recipe worked Debra! I really hope you enjoy the cake when you cut into it tonight! 🙂
Dear Amy, I’m not much of a cake or pie baker, but I had this huge container of ricotta that I didn’t want to go to waste, so I found your recipe and went to work. I did all the ingredients exact except that I had whole milk ricotta. I baked it for 30 mins @ 350 and the toothpick tested clean, so I took it out. When I popped it out of the bundt it looked awfully tiny, so my first thought was my baking powder might be old. But, then I checked back and looked at your picture and read a few of the others’s comments and realized that I had a full-sized bundt pan. So, here’s my question. So many others mentioned “texture” and I’m wondering if that means that it’s less flaky than a regular cake and more of a hearty/meaty feel to it? The taste is good, but it’s definitely more of a heavy feeling to it than regular cake. Also, in your picture, it looks like a hit of ricotta near the top but my cake looks solid. Did I stir the ingredients too long. Otherwise, it’s tasty and I truly think it’s going to be something that appeals to my hubby more than a big, flaky chunk of cake with lots of icing. Note: Next time I’ll double it to make it a bit larger!
I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor of the cake Pat! This cake is definitely on the “dense” side of texture and nowhere near the “airier” cakes like angel food cake. You did just fine! I slightly underbaked the cake in these photos, so that bit near the top that you see is the underbaked part. 🙂 I think doubling the cake and baking it longer will be great for you and your hubby!
Amy, have you ever tried this recipe with white whole wheat flour? I would like to use it for a birthday breakfast treat. Thanks!
I just made it with half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose and it was great. Will try with all WWW next time. Thanks.
I haven’t, but 100% white whole wheat flour should work just fine Sandra! I’m honored that you’d like to try one of my recipes to celebrate such a special occasion. Happy birthday to you — or whoever’s birthday you’re celebrating! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!