Lemon-Ricotta Pound Cake
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Flavored with lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice, this incredibly tasty and moist ricotta pound cake is the perfect treat: great with afternoon tea or for dessert. It makes a wonderful gift, too!
This pound cake is a variation of one I made over the holidays, which called for orange zest and orange liqueur. Here, lemon zest and juice have replaced the orange zest and liqueur, and the baking powder has been reduced a tad, too.
Like the orange and ricotta cake, this one is incredibly moist and delicious, and is a cinch to throw together.
**UPDATE: If you love an olive oil cake, I’ve since adapted this recipe to use olive oil in place of butter. It’s also a one-bowl job: One-Bowl Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake (Simple substitute lemon zest for the orange zest and fresh lemon juice for the orange liqueur.)
5 Favorite Quick Breads
- Mrs. Myers’s Best Banana Bread (truly the best)
- Must-Try, Super-Moist Zucchini Bread
- My Mother’s Delicious Pumpkin Bread
- Orange and Ricotta Pound Cake (with butter) OR with oil: One-Bowl Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake
- Yotam Ottolenghi’s Lemon-Semolina Cake
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
- Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 large loaf or three mini loaves
Description
Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis
** UPDATE: If you love an olive oil cake, I’ve since adapted this recipe to use olive oil in place of butter. It’s also a one-bowl job: One-Bowl Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake (Simple substitute lemon zest for the orange zest and fresh lemon juice for the orange liqueur.)**
Notes:
- Important: You must use a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 10×5-inch loaf pan or something larger for this recipe, or, two 8×4-inch loaf pans, otherwise the batter may spill over into your oven, and the cake will not bake evenly. If you only have an 8×4-inch loaf pan, I would recommend not filling it higher than 3/4 or even halfway to be safe. You can bake off the remaining batter in smaller pans or you can wait till your first loaf is done; then bake off the remaining batter in your cooled and cleaned loaf pan.
- I often use three mini loaf pans, because this is a great one for gifting.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks | 170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
- 1 1/2 cups (196 g) cake flour or all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 (13 oz | 366 g) cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- zest of 1 to 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (less than 1 lemon, usually)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9- or 10 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan (see notes above!) with butter (grease it very well). In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend.
- Using a mixer, cream the butter, ricotta and granulated sugar until blended, about 3 minutes — I never really go over three minutes, and it’s ok if there are some visible pieces of butter. In other words, the batter will not look entirely smooth (see photo). With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, zest and lemon juice until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (Note: Do not fill pan higher than 3/4 — save extra batter to bake off in a mini pan or muffin tin … if you fill the pan higher than 3/4 you risk the batter spilling over. See notes above.) and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 60 minutes (about 35 minutes for mini pans). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
222 Comments on “Lemon-Ricotta Pound Cake”
WOWZA!! That looks amazing! I do love lemon….
I have made this cake numerous times and it is always a success!
Perfect for Mother’s day!
Both cakes looks scrumptious. I love lemon and will have to try this.
A friend and I baked small loaves of the original loaf for Christmas gifts this past year. I consider myself a pretty capable baker but was BLOWN away at the results. It was one of those “I cant believe I made this” types of scenes. We gobbled down one loaf before the afternoon was over. It freezes wonderfully – you cant imagine my bliss when I discovered one “forgotten” loaf in the back of my freezer in February. I plan to bake this as a Mothers Day Dessert and glaze it with a small amount of Meyers Lemon marmalade mixed with powdered sugar and yogurt. Maybe some fresh raspberries tossed on top at the last minute, OH I CANT WAIT 🙂 Excellent timing with this post. Thank you
Michelle & Pamela — thanks so much!
Marybeth — SO happy to hear this. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this lemon variation. My mother and I can’t stop eating/raving about it. It is just so moist and delicious. I was worried the absence of liqueur might make it less tasty, but it is SO good. I hope you like it, too. Your glaze sounds absolutely divine. And raspberries couldn’t be more perfect. Wonderful ideas!
First off this cake is so delicious!! Just got done making another batch that is in the oven as I am writing this. My question is can this recipe be doubled? Thank you. Donna Simmons
So happy to hear this! I believe it can. I know sometimes doubling throws things off, but I think with this one, as long as you are careful to measure everything accurately, you should be just fine. Hope the double batch turns out well!
Lovely post all around! Any excuse to eat ricotta is a-ok with me! 🙂
This looks so unbelievably delicious.
So Sweet – Both the cake and card!
Looks fab. Homemade. Roger.
What beautiful cakes!
I can’t believe I have never made a ricotta cake and now I’m very inspired. The crumb on this cake looks perfect.
This is one of my go to recipes – I have found it to be fool- proof. It also freezes beautifully- so I try to have one in the freezer for dessert emergencies!
Christy — it does freeze well, which is so nice to know, because nothing is better than discovering these treats in your freezer just when you need them!
Hi, This sounds So YUMMY. My son has a gluten allergy. Is there a gluten free flour you would recomend?
K. Vella — I haven’t experimented too much with gluten-free flours, but I really like the c4c flour. I’ve used it in my shortbread and scone recipes, and it works like a dream. It’s on the expensive side as far as these flours go, and of course you could make your own mix, but that gets costly, too. I like the convenience of it and the quality of it. Hope that helps! Let me know if you make a variation of this gluten free. Good luck with it!
Darcy — I didn’t. I thought it might actually be a waste of the homemade ricotta. I didn’t use a particularly good brand either — just a whole milk variety (sargento, maybe?) I found at the grocery store…not that flavorful on its own, but it works really well in the recipe. I haven’t been feeling very ambitious either…kind of stuck making the same things over and over again.
This bread looks divine! Just in time for the ricotta I have to use!
I can always count on you Ali to post something that looks like I could cut it out of the blog and eat it! I love the lemon recipe, but then I love all things lemon! I also love the accordion photo book….I think I’ll make one with my hubbie and morkie puppy! All is well here, all the rain we can handle, thank the Universe, it finally started raining! The garden is growing well, still a ton of things to plant! I’m on my way to buy lemons after work tomorrow! XXXOOOXXX! I think I’ll try to put some herbs in one of the loaves…maybe some thyme? It’s got a lemony, not too strong, flavor?
Laurie — SO happy to hear you are finally getting some rain! It has been raining here, too, for about the past three days. It feels really good. Everything looks so green. Kiddos like splashing in the puddles, too. I think thyme sounds like the perfect herb to add to this. I have a recipe somewhere for a lemon thyme cookie that a friend in Philadelphia used to make all the time for gifts. It was such a treat! I imagine it will be nice in this pound cake, too. Hope it turns out well for you! xoxo
Oh no! I grabbed fat-free ricotta accidentally…should I add more butter to up the fat content?
Thanks!
Megan — hi! Gosh, I don’t totally know how to advise, but my gut is telling me that you shouldn’t make any other changes. I think upping the butter will alter the ratio of ingredients, which might affect the texture of the ultimate cake as well as the cooking time. I kind of think the fat-free ricotta might be just fine, and that the cake will likely still be moist and delicious despite the lower fat content. I’m trying to think. You could always bake off a small amount of batter in a ramekin or muffin tin and see how it turns out. If you do this, definitely let it cool for as long as you are are able to before tasting it — room temperature is best — and then once you taste it, perhaps think about adding some more butter or oil to the batter then? Just a thought. Let me know what you decide!
Your cakes look so great! I tried making it tonight and after 45 minutes the outside of my cake was brown and getting overdone but the middle was VERY underdone. Have you ever had this happen?
Julie — Hi, no, I have never had this happen, and I’ve made it quite a few times. Let’s see, you weren’t baking it on convection were you? And what type (metal or glass, etc.) of loaf pan were you using? Are you baking at a different altitude? Let me know, and I’ll try to think of what could have happened.
I love all of your recipes!! I made this last night and, unfortunately, the same thing happened to me that happened to Julie and I baked mine for 50 minutes. Baked mine in a Pyrex-type of loaf pan….maybe that’s what happened? I’m going to try it again this morning but in a different pan…fingers crossed!!!
Suzette — so sorry to hear this! I am now really perplexed as you are the second person this has happened to. Are you trying a metal loaf pan today? I hope that makes a difference. The only other thing I can think of is if you had maybe baked the loaf on convection but that’s probably unlikely. I am thinking that maybe Pyrex loaf pans insulate a little bit more so that the baking times might take longer, in which case it might make sense to reduce the oven temperature and cook it for longer so that it cooks more evenly before the top gets too brown. With a glass baking dish, too, maybe covering the top with foil towards the end might help with the browning issue. I’m going to look into this further. Sorry for the trouble to both you and Julie!
I followed your recipe to the letter (I am a Libra, therefore, a perfectionist by nature plus my dad is also a perfectionist, so there’s a double-whammy) so when I had this issue, I came to look at others’ comments to see if anyone else had had the same issue. When I read Julie’s comment, I didn’t feel so bad. 🙂
I don’t have a convection oven, so that wasn’t the issue and it was actually a Corningware loaf pan, not a Pyrex….my mistake. I bought two metal non-stick loaf pans and, depending on what my gut tells me, I might split the batter between the two pans. I also measured out the ingredients according to the gram weight this time which I feel is a more precise measurement. Truth be told, though, I think it may have been the pan and I think you may be right, it might be more insulating. Waiting for my loaf of bread to finish baking and then I’ll be putting this in. I’m really hoping it works out this time as I’d love to take it to my parents’ house this weekend…like I said, fingers crossed!! I will keep you posted……
Suzette — Please do keep me posted. These sorts of baking issues can be so frustrating especially because of the wasted ingredients, so I appreciate you being so kind in your comments and responses. I so hope the cake turns out well for you in the metal loaf pan bc the cake tastes so good (maybe even better?) on subsequent days, so it will be at its peak this weekend. It also freezes very well, too.
I am searching online for answers regarding baking with Corningware vs. baking with metal vs. Pyrex but of course am coming up with mixed answers at every turn. I’m going to check out the Corningware website right now. The consensus does seem to be that it’s a good idea to turn down the temperature when baking with Corningware or Pyrex because it apparently foods cook more quickly in them, but that doesn’t seem to totally make sense with the results you had, which was an underbaked center, so I’m still confused. I’ll report back if I learn anything.
Okay….sooooooo….I THINK it came out okay. I only used one pan and was worried about the overflow that you mentioned so I put some aluminum foil underneath it. After 50 minutes, I checked it with a wooden skewer and it was still wet, so I left it for another 10 minutes but covered the top with foil as it was turning pretty brown. When I checked it again, the skewer still seemed wet, so I turned the temp. down to 325 and left it for another 5 min. After that, I had to pull it out because I was in crunched for time. I let it cool for 15 min. and it popped out of the pan with no issues. I won’t really know the result until we cut into it tomorrow at my parents’ house. I am praying because I did taste the first one last night, the outside part that was done. Honestly, it was 1 a.m. and it was so darn good that I really had to force myself to stop eating it and go to bed!!!!
I was thinking the same thing as you regarding the Corningware….that if it’s an insulation issue then it should have been done, so it IS very confusing. Please do report back if you learn anything more and I will report back after the weekend to let you know the final result.
Thanks for all of your help….have a wonderful weekend!!! 🙂
Suzette, I so hope it turns out well, and I can’t wait to hear. I am going to make a note about baking times because yet another person has had an issue with the time! I have a glass Pyrex loaf pan, and I am tempted to make the recipe again this weekend to try and figure out a more accurate time/temperature for glass-type baking dishes. But I still think I will make a note regarding times in general bc it seems as though times in metal pans can vary, too.
Anyway, I will definitely report back if I make any discoveries, and thank you again for being so kind and thoughtful with your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!
I too had the same issue withe the bread being done on the outside and raw in the middle at the 50 minute mark. I then left it in for 25 minutes longer and it came out great! The outside is a little dark, but it is not burnt. I suggest that if you are using one pan like I did to bake it for an hour and 15 minutes.
Valerie — Oh no! Not you, too! I am sure you have read the thread of comments here regarding timing issues, but I am sorry for the trouble. What kind of a pan were you using? I am going to make a note about the timing issues in the recipe right now.
So glad the cake ended up turning out well for you. Have a great weekend!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m about to go make it right now for mothers day tomorrow. Mum’s going to love it 🙂
How sweet!
I just made this and it is delicious! It was so quick to throw together and so light and soft.
My oven is terrible (gas), frequently burns the bottom of things and turns off by itself every 15 mins so not sure how long it took in total… I used a non stick metal loaf pan, and about 2/3 through cooking I thought it would burn the bottom by the end as the top and middle were still wobbly, so at that point I put the loaf pan into a glass dish with a bit of water on the bottom to control it so the rest would finish off without burning the bottom/outsides. Turned out great!
Less golden top than yours but I think that’s just my oven…
Sarah, wow, I have to say I am very impressed by your composure — my oven is terrible, too, but it doesnt shut off as it pleases — as well as your ability to improvise: finishing the loaf off in a water bath is genius. So glad it turned out well for you, and seriously, you are funny — do you just set a timer for every 15 minutes to remind you to turn your oven back on?
I made this a couple of days ago. It was absolutely delicious!!! We ate the entire thing in one day! I did, however, experience the same issue of having the middle part very underdone at the 45 minute mark. I used a Pyrex loaf pan so I could see all of the outside, including the bottom, looked cooked. I was afraid it was going to burn, but I just left it there for another 15-20 min and kept a close eye on it. When I got it out, the outside looked a bit too brown but when I tasted it, it was perfect. the outside was crunchy, not burnt by any means. And the inside was super soft and moist.
May I ask what kind of butter you use? My bread did seem a bit on the greasy side. Is it supposed to be like this?
I also did your Mother Peasant Bread, and it was delicious too! I’m addicted to your recipes! Haha!
Rosalba — so glad this turned out tasty for you! And I’m so glad you were able to adjust the baking time without experiencing adverse affects regarding the taste and texture. I use Land o’ lakes unsalted butter. What kind did you use. The bread definitely is on the super moist side, and I suppose this could be taken as greasy — a slice definitely leaves a mark on a plate — but it shouldn’t be unpleasantly greasy. Hope that makes sense. And I’m so happy you liked the peasant bread, too. Thank you for your nice comment.
Pretty much!
If I want to cook anything in the oven it just means I have to be at home the whole time, and can’t cook anything very time/temp sensitive… Which is a shame because I love baking! But yesterday your recipe made for a perfect rainy afternoon here in NYC (thank you!) it emerged ready from the oven just as the thunderstorms arrived overhead 🙂
Sarah — you are good to be such a good sport about your oven. It’s thunderstorm/power outages season down here in VA, and I always seem to have something in the oven when the lights start flickering, which of course enrages me… I’ll keep in mind your situation from here on out 🙂
Made the cake this morning and SO wish I had read the comments first. I used a standard metal loaf pan, cooked it for 50 minutes and mine too, was pretty raw in the middle. We will work our way in from each end, topping the “done” slices with strawberries tossed earlier with a bit of Cointreau – and we will be happy campers. Happy Mother’s Day!
Oh Lindsay, you have been a good sport about these recipes, today! I am sorry for the trouble. I am going to make a note about the times for metal loaf pans, too, now. Strawberries tossed with Cointreau sound like an amazing addition to this cake. So sorry about the underdone center! And thank you for the Mother’s Day wishes.
Just made the lemon-ricotta cake, OMG absolutely delicious, having company and will be serving this and your almond biscotti. Looking forward to your next recipes.
Tammy — wonderful to hear this!
Hi…I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I am getting back to you like I promised….we had the loaf at my parents’ house. It was only slightly underbaked in the middle (this was after 65 minutes in the oven) and whereas yours looks so light and airy, mine was very heavy and dense. Also, yours was such a beautiful golden color and mine was darker due to the longer bake time. However, the flavor was still amazing and everyone loved it which made me SO HAPPY!! I’m not done with this, though (like I said, it’s the perfectionist in me)…lol! I think next time I will split the batter between two pans and see what happens. What do you think about baking it at 325 for a longer period of time?
Oh Suzette, thanks so much for reporting back. I’m sorry to hear that the loaf didn’t turn out quite as you (and I) had hoped, but I’m glad to hear it was well received even so. I think splitting the batter between two pans is a great idea — I think they will bake much more evenly. They likely won’t be as tall, but I don’t think that is something to worry about. I also like the idea of reducing the oven temperature and baking the loaf for a longer period of time. I’m not done with this either! One other thought is to use 2.5 teaspoons baking powder, which the original recipe called for. I cut it back bc I was worried about spillage issues, which I’ve had in the past, but maybe the additional half teaspoon of baking powder would help with the heaviness and denseness. I am writing down ricotta on my grocery list — this must be revisited one more time!
I think it definitely would have spilled over if I had used 2.5 teaspoons of the baking powder because it was right at the top edge of the pan as it was baking, so I think splitting it between two pans would be the best solution. I’m not really worried about them not being as tall just as long as they come out right. Do you still think I should lower the oven temp. and increase the baking time if I make these changes?
I find it so strange that some people have had their loaves come out perfectly and others have had this same issue!! Keep me posted as to how your next loaves come out….I’d like to know before I attempt this again. 😉
Suzette — I know! I find it so frustrating that we all cant have consistent results. It really pains me when recipes don’t turn out well for people, especially, as I think I already mentioned, because of the wasted ingredients. OK, so it sounds as though splitting the batter is a good idea, and I am on the fence about lowering the baking time. When I bake this recipe in my mini loaf pans, I have no trouble with time and temperature, but that’s with the batter divided among three pans. Let’s just say I don’t think you can go wrong lowering the temperature, so it’s definitely worth a shot. I will report back when I make this again. Thanks for the update!