Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake

Tips & Tricks:

• 🔪 This entire recipe can be made ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week. Or you can store, covered, on the counter at room temperature for three days.
• 🧈 I do this trick to soften butter while I gather my mise en place.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 ½ sticks
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• powdered sugar for dusting top of cake (optional)
• Disposable loaf pan (9x5x3) if you don’t have one

Directions:

1. Mise En Place
1. Gather all your ingredients for this recipe. This is important for every type of recipe and something I do before I cook anything, but I find it especially important for baking. A lot of times ingredients need to be at room temp, more accurately measured, and the order of ingredients can be most important. So, when it is all laid out and measured in front of me, there is less pressure to follow a recipe correctly.
2. Oven Prep
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Set the shelf in the middle level of the oven.
3. Grease a standard loaf pan(9x5x3) using butter and powdered sugar; set aside.
3. Cake Bater Time
1. In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until combined. The butter and sugar will combine into mostly 1 larger piece.
2. Add in the ricotta cheese and blend until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally.
3. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine.
5. Stir in the baking soda and salt.
6. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Don't mix any longer than needed to incorporate all of the flour.
4. Baking Time
1. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
2. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
3. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges to help loosen the cake from the pan, and then flipping the pan over onto a plate or cutting board to remove the cake.
4. Let the cake cool.
5. Serve
1. Slice and (optionally) dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Reheat Options

1. The cake is ready to enjoy at room or refrigerated temp. But I like to pop it in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 30 seconds to 1 minute.