Italian ricotta lemon cake is a very moist cake, it tastes like dairy and it is full of flavor, the combination is wonderful. It is a very simple Italian cake recipe that resembles a simple sponge cake. It has a dense and fluffy texture, which has a lot of moisture to it.
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This is the kind of dessert that is literally perfect to eat with a cup of tea, because it’s buttery, and strong tasting, and the tea cuts that buttery feel in the mouth and balances everything out nicely, and also, complements the flavor. Of course, not just any tea will do, but some chocolate tea, vanilla, a roiboos, black or green tea I think would be great.
To make this ricotta and lemon cake, you need ricotta of course, but the truth is that instead of ricotta you can simply use requesón, which in Mexico is very common and can be found in almost any store and maybe also in some other countries. This is just if you cannot find ricotta cheese easily. Requesón has a very similar texture to ricotta cheese, and they are both neutral in flavor.
In the case of the lemon, for this recipe you can use lemon or lime indistinctly, both for the juice and the zest that the recipe calls for without any problem. Now, if you like one or the other better, use the one you prefer, but you can even use a mixture and the flavor will be just as good.
When using the lemon or lime zest, as always, be sure to use only the zest of the colored part of the skin, either green or yellow, and never grate the white part underneath, because it is very bitter, and it will make the whole mixture and the cake bitter in the end.
If you like this recipe, you have to check out our lemon meringue pie, it is a classic and you will love it!
Italian lemon ricotta cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C (6.87 oz) (195 gr) all purpouse flour
- 1 tsp (0.18 oz) (5 gr) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.088 oz) (2.5 gr) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (0.04 oz) (1.2 gr) salt
- 3/4 C (6 oz) (170 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 C (10.58 oz) (300 gr) white sugar
- 2 C (14.10 oz) (400 gr) ricotta cheese, or requesón
- 3 eggs, big
- 1 tsp (0.17 fl oz) (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (1.52 fl oz) (45 ml) natural lemon or lime juice
- The zest of 2 limes or 1 lemon
- Confectioners sugar (powdered sugar), to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 356º F (180° C). Grese and line a round baking pan of approximately 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer or hand whisk for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the ricotta cheese or requesón and beat for 1 more minute until you get a lighter and fluffier mixture.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the vanilla extract along with the lemon juice and zest and beat until blended.
- Add the flour mixture in three separate additions. Beat only for a maximum of 30 seconds after each addition, just until the ingredients are integrated so as not to overbeat the batter.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 356º F (180° C) for approximately 40-45 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Once ready, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down in the pan. Then turn it out and let it cool down completely on a wire rack. Decorate with powdered sugar if desired and it's ready.
