Classic Ricotta Pound Cake
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Classic Ricotta Pound Cake is dense, soft, and sweet. It is guaranteed to get you to rave reviews at your next potluck!
This slightly sweet Classic Ricotta Pound Cake packs a flavor punch. It satisfies your craving for a moist, buttery, and tender dessert.
This dessert is incredibly rich, buttery, irresistible. I use whole milk ricotta in this pound cake recipe.
Classic Ricotta Pound Cake
I have plenty of pound cake recipes, but this is the only one that I make in a loaf pan. Usually, when I bake a cake or sweet bread in a loaf pan, they always sink a little in the center. For some reason, I can’t get the center to bake completely before the edges get overcooked.
Also, this pound cake doesn’t have a fine crumb-like most of the other pound cakes. It’s moist, dense, and creamy, but the crumb is actually quite large especially for a pound cake.
Lemon and ricotta just go together to me so I used lemon zest and lemon extract. I also test this cake with vanilla flavoring. Both flavors were good, but I prefer the lemon.
Serving Suggestions
Like most other pound cakes, this is delicious by itself. BUT, It also makes a great base for ice cream, whipped cream, berries, chocolate, or caramel sauce. And, how great would grilled peaches and mascarpone be!?
*Helpful comment from Lea –
I noticed that a few people had a problem with the cake being undone, or falling in the middle. When I use ricotta cheese in making cannoli cakes, you can’t beat it for very long or it will get runny.
I made this pound cake twice and I creamed thebutter and sugar together first, then mixed in all of the other ingredients, then added the ricotta cheese last and mixed it in on low speed and only until it was incorporated. Don’t over beat. As well, I baked the first one in 2 – 9 inch round cake pans and the second one in a fluted pound/bundt cake pan and they both turned out fine. In fact I had one person who ate it say it was her new favorite pound cake. Its awesome, in fact, I’m going to make a 2 tier baby shower cake and cupcakes with this recipe for next week.
Get all my pound cakes recipes here!
Classic Ricotta Pound Cake
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
- 1 and ½ cups whole milk ricotta
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or lemon extract and zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter or solid vegetable shortening then sprinkle of granulated sugar or flour. Wilton cake release is great to prevent sticking too! (I use shortening and sugar. Sugar doesn't leave white patches like flour does.)
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, ricotta, and sugar until smooth about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time. The batter may look curdled at this point. It's okay just keep mixing. Stop the mixer and scrap the sides. Return the mixer to med-low.
- Add the flour mixture and either vanilla extract or lemon zest and extract, depending on which you prefer. Scrap down sides and allow to beat about 30 seconds.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Test cake by inserting a wooden pick into the center. If the pick is clean or has dry crumbs the cake is cooked perfectly. Dark pans cook faster than light pans as well as if you put the pan on a cookie sheet to bake. (I ALWAYS put cakes or pies on another pan to prevent spills from leaking in the oven.) Watch the time and cake carefully according to your oven and your pans.
- Allow cake to cool on wire rack 15 minutes before inverting onto serving tray.
Notes
Nutrition
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The pound cake looks, smells, tastes super delicious!
I did tweak the recipe using; 1c part akim milk ricotta, 0.5c 0% Fage Greek yogurt, 1.1oz fresh lemon juice, 1.2oz fresh grated lemon zest (zest from 2 organic lemons), 1/2c butter, 0.75c sugar. The cake was still sweet and buttery, light and fluffy, no need for wasted calories or product.
Steps:
Added Greek yogurt then ricotta as last steps, incorporating just enough.
Bake time:
Using Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Loaf Pan;
350F 30 min
325F 75 min
Total of 105 min = that’s right, 1 hr 45 min for the toothpick to come out clean in all areas with a lovely medium golden top and a wonderful but moderate center rise. Author’s/baker’s photos look severely underdone and flat. Mine looks like it came from the bakery!
Thank you so much for this recipe and all of your recipes!
This cake is amazing! I made it in a springform pan instead of a loaf. It is dense but not heavy. I used vanilla extract but will make it with lemon during blueberry season.
First I made homemade creme fraiche 4 days in advance. On the day of baking I made homemade ricotta, thank you to my long time friend Martha (she doesn’t know we’re friends yet 😅)
https://www.marthastewart.com/316049/homemade-ricotta
I made 4 loaves, they came out perfect, they taste great, the smells fill the kitchen! I waited to put the ricotta in one step before the flour mixture. I was generous with the pure lemon extract. I baked 2 loaves at a time for about 70 – 75 minutes, as soon as the toothpick was clean.
Thanks for sharing this recipe Paula!
I have wanted to make homemade yogurt, ricotta, and mozzarella, but haven’t been brave enough yet! Thanks for this!!
I don’t know what happened with the lemon extract but my cake tasted like chemicals. I used Wiltons Lemon Extract. Had to bake it much longer than recipe called for and lowered the oven rack and tented the top because it was charing. I’m really bummed.
That is really odd.
Good recipe. I take issue with you saying “Cuisine type: American/Southern.” That’s very wrong. It’s English in origin.
Delicious and most, but you must DEFINITELY bake longer than 45-50 minutes. The heading on the recipe states baking time is one hour but the instructions state 45-50 minutes. I also recommend the use of foil after about 1/2 hour of baking as the crust seems to bake quickly and the rim on my pound cake was slightly charred.
Thank you! Helpful tip.
So, I was looking for ways to utilize leftover Ricotta cheese and came across this recipe.
I love baking n my family loves to try new food, so it was settled.
And this turned out to be the softest pound cake ever. My 5 yrs old approves.
I didn’t change anything in the recipe, except used a 9″ round pan and baked at 350 for 45 mins.
Used my baking rings for even baking and the longer time helped avoid sinking of cake.
I also let it sit in the oven for 10 mins after baking instead of taking it out immediately.
yay! so happy you like it
I baked 3 mini Bundt cakes and 1 round 8in cake with the batter. I added the ricotta second to last of the ingredients to avoid over beating it and making the batter too thin. I also cut out 1/4 cup of sugar. I baked the mini Bundts for about 40 minutes and the round for about 55- they came out just lovely. Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!! Everyone loves it.
I had some leftover homemade ricotta I did not want to waste and came upon this recipe. Did not disappoint! 10 Stars! Hubby LOVED it and I can’t wait to try in a bundt pan next time. Thanks for sharing this winner!
Thank you so much!
The flavor is absolutely delicious, but unfortunately, this recipe leads you astray if you follow the cooking directions. I would definitely recommend cooking longer and covering with foil after a while. I haven’t repeated this recipe to have a perfect suggestion, but the conditions I failed with were: I used a Pyrex baking dish and cooked this for 1 hour uncovered, then about 8 minutes covered, then let sit in the hot dish for another 10 and the inside was still pretty much liquid (shame on me for not having patience and assuming it would bake up more than it did) while the top and sides were about to burn. Nonetheless, I will definitely try this again with some alterations because we couldn’t help but devour the cooked scraps!
I made this twice today. I didn’t use a loaf pan, but a Bundt pan that Lea in the comments had mentioned she used. Lea also added the ricotta at the end of the recipe. I found that I had no issues with the cake being too wet or taking more than 50 minutes. I used vanilla extract and blood orange skin for flavor.
However!! I made it twice bc the original cake stuck to the pan! I sprayed it with butter Non stick spray & it stuck. Second cake, I over sprayed!! It still stuck, just not as bad. I managed to piece the cake together & served it with fresh, homemade Strawberry Syrup .
Definitely peruse the comments. Lea’s posts were very helpful. Cheers!
I put this in a classic bundt pan and baked it for 45 minutes and it was PERFECT!! My family could not keep their hands off of it. It’s so moist with just the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s a perfect complement to any flavor of ice cream or some berries and homemade whipped cream. I used vanilla this time, but next time, I think I’ll try it with lemon. It would also be good with almond extract.
Lots of comments about how long it takes to cook. If taking temperature of the cake with an internal thermometer, what temperature would indicate that the cake is properly cooked?
Has anyone tried baking this with a reduced amount of sugar? I was wondering if it would hurt the recipe too much to cut it down to 1 cup.. my parents and myself are diabetics but we still like to have a treat now and then and I just know that they would love ricotta pound cake 😁
I cut it to 1 1/4 and it’s fine- better even!
Recipe states 45-50 min at 350. I had to cook it 15 minutes longer. A bit sweet…but yummy.
Thanks, Paula.
This is delicious. I needed to bake it longer.. 60-65 minutes. I used a Pyrex/Glass loaf pan.. not sure if that needed more time.
Love this recipe as I always have some ricotta left over after making my lasagna.
This recipe is a keeper!