Italian Lemon Cake with Ricotta & Almonds
Featuring a dense, almond-flecked lemon pound cake base, toffeed almond topping, and a gorgeously light n’ lemony sweet ricotta whipped cream, my Italian Lemon Cake recipe is one for the books! Made with just 12 simple ingredients, this lemon almond ricotta cake is fancy enough for a celebration, but simple enough to be considered an “everyday” cake.Adapted from Bon Appetit's Raspberry Ricotta Cake, March 2015; Leite's Culinaria Sweet Whipped Ricotta
Equipment
- 8-9" Springform Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ C AP Flour
- ¼ C Almond Flour
- 1 ¼ C Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest from approximately 3 lemons
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 whole Eggs
- 1 ½ C Full Fat Ricotta
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Extract
- ½ C Butter melted
Almond Topping
- 1 Egg White whisked till frothy
- 1 ½ C Sliced Almonds
- 3 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
Lemony Whipped Ricotta (For Serving)
- ½ C Ricotta
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1-2 teaspoon Lemon Juice from 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ C Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare pan by spraying lightly with nonstick cooking spray, then line bottom with parchment round and spray again.
- Rub lemon zest into sugar, using your fingers. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, lemon sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 ½ C ricotta, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon extract.
- Gently fold dries into wets until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in melted butter until combined, then scrape batter into prepared pan.
- Whisk egg white until frothy and white, saving the yolk for another purpose. Add sliced almonds and sugar, folding to incorporate.
- Dollop the almond topping on top of the cake batter, spreading it out into an even layer and lightly pressing it into the batter with the back of a spoon.
- Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45–55 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
- While cake bakes, make the whipped ricotta (if using). Strain ricotta in a mesh strainer lined with a damp paper towel or cheesecloth for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, blitz the sugar until superfine (but not powdered). Add strained ricotta, lemon zest, juice, vanilla extract, and sugar to a food processor fitted with the blade. Whip for about 5 minutes total, scraping the sides every few minutes. (I know 5 minutes sounds long, but thats how to get it nice and fluffy!)
- Serve cake warm or room temp with dollop of sweetened ricotta. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cakes baked in an 8" tin will take longer than those baked in a 9" tin.
- Only zest the bright yellow parts of the lemon; the white pith is bitter!
- Don't rush the whipped ricotta. 5 minutes sounds like a long time, but it'll result in the creamiest, dreamiest consistency. Scrape down the sides of the bowl 2-3 times during the process.
- If you want your whipped ricotta to have a thicker consistency, strain it again in the lined mesh strainer for up to overnight.
- If the almonds are browning too quickly, lightly tent the cake with foil.
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 12gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 628mgPotassium: 181mgFiber: 3gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 505IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 182mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!