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This lemon ricotta cake hits all the right notes: soft, tender, and unapologetically lemony. Ricotta gives it a plush crumb, while zest, juice, and a splash of lemon oil layer in real citrus flavor. Add a swipe of tangy raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream, and you’ve got a cake that doesn’t stick around.
We served this ricotta cake with the same homemade raspberry sauce used in our flourless chocolate cake.
Here’s Why This Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe Works
Ricotta for richness: Gives the crumb a soft, custardy texture without making it heavy. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can use my ricotta cheese recipe for this cake.
Whipped eggs = volume: Beating eggs and sugar until tripled in size creates an airy, lofty cake.
Lemon three ways: Zest, juice, and a touch of lemon oil deliver bright, punchy flavor—no artificial weirdness.
Make-ahead friendly: The cake chills like a champ, and that raspberry sauce stashes in the freezer for months.
Recipe Tips
Warm up those eggs: Room temperature (or slightly warm) eggs whip higher and fluffier than cold ones.
Don’t overmix: Gently fold in the flour to keep all that volume you just worked for.
Chill the cream: Cold cream + cold bowl = faster whip, fluffier results.
Check the center: A toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Overbake it, and you’ll lose that custardy texture.
Let it cool: Rushing the cooling process makes the crumb dense and sticky. Give it time to set up properly.
For more ways to use ricotta, try our Tomato Ricotta Tart or these Baked Pears with Ricotta.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It tastes amazing cold.
Freeze: Wrap slices tightly and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for an hour.
More Lemon Recipes
The Secret’s in the Ricotta
This lemon ricotta cake is what happens when simple ingredients know what they’re doing. It’s bright, creamy, and comes together without a lot of fuss. The raspberry sauce is a great finish, but lemon curd is also delicious.
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Lemon Ricotta Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon oil, optional, see notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
Raspberry Sauce
- 4 cups fresh raspberries, or frozen
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk or sift the flour mixture until there are no lumps.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes until almost tripled in size. The mixture will get very light yellow, thick and fluffy.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the melted butter, vanilla, lemon oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix on low just until well blended.
- Place the ricotta in a bowl and pour about 1/3 of the egg mixture into the ricotta. Stir well to loosen the ricotta and thin it out. Pour the thinned-out ricotta mixture into the mixing bowl with the egg mixture. Use a wide spatula to fold the batter until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture and use a spatula to fold the flour into the batter.
- Spread the batter into the cake pan and bake for 38 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan. If you remove it while it is still warm, it tends to break easily.
For the Raspberry Sauce
- Place the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring frequently for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Pour the raspberry mixture into a strainer placed over a bowl. Push the raspberries through the strainer with a spoon or spatula. Discard the seeds.
For the Whipped Cream
- Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
- Whip on medium-low speed for 30 seconds then increase the speed to medium-high. Whisk until stiff peaks form, about 45 to 90 seconds (depending on your mixer).
- Serve the cake with raspberry sauce and dollops of whipped cream.
Notes
- Lemon oil will give the cake an extra pop of lemon flavor. It is pretty potent stuff and 1/2 teaspoon or just a drop more is all you need. Do not use lemon extract or it will have an artificial flavor and do not use extra lemon juice as it will add too much liquid to the cake.
- You can store the raspberry sauce for 7 days in the fridge or for 6 months in the freezer.
- Let the eggs come to room temperature or even let them sit in warm water for a few minutes so they are slightly warmer than room temperature. Warm eggs will beat to a higher volume than cold eggs.
- Make sure the cream is chilled when you make the whipped cream. It also helps to stick the mixing bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before you begin making the whipped cream. Cream whips to a higher volume when it is cold.
- This cake tastes great cold or warm. Store in a sealed container on the counter for 2 days, in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Everyone loves this cake, I’ve made it several times.
I have one observation that I need help with.
Why are the pics of the cake, more cake like than mine. My cake comes
out more on the dense side, not airy like your pics which look more cake like.
What am I doing wrong?????
The cake is fairly dense and almost like a cheesecake texture but a bit lighter. One thing that helps it have more ‘lift’ and airyness is to make sure you beat the egg and sugar mixture until it triples in volume (step 3). When you fold the flour mixture in, use a wide spatula and a gentle folding motion so you don’t overmix the batter. I hope that helps, thanks for the question.
What a beautiful summer cake! I just can’t resist anything lemon.
Me too, lemon is such a delightful flavor. Thanks for the comment Angie
Love lemon. Particularly in desserts. This looks fabulous! Really excellent recipe — thanks.
Thanks John, we sure gobbled it up quickly 😉