Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Cake, juicy sweet blueberries are perfectly paired with lemon scented ricotta cake. Enjoy this easy to make cake for breakfast, brunch or dessert!
If you love ricotta desserts (as I do!), you'll be sure to enjoy lemony ricotta cake topped with fresh blueberries. This not too sweet cake is incredibly moist due to the creamy ricotta and the burst of juicy blueberries with every bite!
And, it is definitely not your light and fluffy sponge cake. Blueberry lemon ricotta cake has a slightly dense, almost custard like texture that's so satisfying.
Take a look at how easy it is to make!
Ingredient list
- Ricotta: preferably whole milk ricotta, drained if it is particularly watery
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Freshly grated lemon zest
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Blueberries: preferably fresh, although frozen blueberries would work as well
- Powdered sugar
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by tearing off a sheet of parchment paper, crumple it and wet it slightly. Unfold it and cover the pan with the parchment hanging over the sides of the pan.
- Sift together all-purpose flour; baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs well until pale and frothy.
- Add the ricotta and stir until well combined. Stir in the lemon zest.
- Use spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour the thick batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Toss the blueberries with the powdered sugar and distribute evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 55 minutes until the top is golden brown, the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- The cake will be slightly puffy when removed from the oven and will slowly settle as it cools.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes before lifting the cake out of the pan by the edges of the parchment paper hanging over the pan.
- Return to the rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with extra powdered sugar on top (optional).
Recipe Notes
-Try this cake with freshly grated zest of one orange instead of lemon.
-Make this cake with other berries such as raspberries or strawberries or even a combination of different berries.
-Frozen blueberries may be used in place of fresh.
-Although I have not tried this cake with cottage cheese, a dear reader has shared that she substitutes cottage cheese for ricotta by draining it and then mashing it with a fork.
-If you don't have a 9-inch cake pan, use a springform pan or even a pie plate.
-Whichever pan you do use, be sure to line it with parchment paper as described in the recipe.
-I prefer the texture of this cake at room temperature, however after one day I would refrigerate the cake (due to the ricotta) for up to three days.
Did you try this ricotta berry cake recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
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Check out more delicious Italian ricotta dessert recipes!
- Mom's Sicilian Ricotta Pie
- Cartocci Siciliani with Ricotta Filling
- Sicilian Cassatelle with Ricotta
- No Crust Pear and Ricotta Cheesecake
- Ricotta Pistachio Roll Cake
- Pizzelle Cannoli
- Sicilian Cannoli with Ricotta Filling
- Baked Sicilian Iris with Ricotta
- Easy Italian Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts
- Sweet Ricotta Easter Calzone
Ingredients
- 454 grams ricotta (1 lb) preferably whole milk, drained if it is particularly watery
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- lemon zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp. powdered sugar plus extra for dusting on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by tearing off a sheet of parchment paper, crumple it and wet it slightly. Unfold it and cover the pan with the parchment hanging over the sides of the pan.
- Sift together all-purpose flour; baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs well until pale and frothy.
- Add the ricotta and stir until well combined. Stir in the lemon zest.
- Use spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour the thick batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Toss the blueberries with the powdered sugar and distribute evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 55 minutes until the top is golden brown, the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- The cake will be slightly puffy when removed from the oven and will slowly settle as it cools.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes before lifting the cake out of the pan by the edges of the parchment paper hanging over the pan. Return to the rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with extra powdered sugar on top (optional).
Notes
-Make this cake with other berries such as raspberries or strawberries or even a combination of different berries. -Frozen blueberries may be used in place of fresh. Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta? -Although I have not tried this cake with cottage cheese, a dear reader has shared that she substitutes cottage cheese for ricotta by draining it and then mashing it with a fork. Can another pan be used in place of a cake pan? -If you don't have a 9-inch cake pan, use a springform pan or even a pie plate.
-Whichever pan you do use, be sure to line it with parchment paper as described in the recipe. Storage: -I prefer the texture of this cake at room temperature, however after one day I would refrigerate the cake (due to the ricotta) for up to three days. Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.
Cindy Polera
3rd time making this gem of a lemon blueberry ricotta cheesecake. This one’s going to a Super Bowl Party. Since we’ll have to share this one, I’ll be baking #4 soon. Hubby loves it!
Nadia
Hi Cindy, I'm thrilled to hear you enjoy this recipe! Great idea, it does travel well and it's so easy to prepare. Thank you for your lovely comment!
Cindy Polera
Yes! So easy to prepare. I love the idea of the dampened, crumpled parchment paper! It takes the worry out of hoping the cake doesn’t stick to the pan. Thank you for that!
Nadia
You are quite welcome Cindy, glad you found this tip helpful!
tom
Top notch! Tasty and easy to make.
Thanks Nadia
Nadia
Hello Tom, so glad you enjoyed this simple cake. Thank you!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
Sounds delicious Nadia! I have some ricotta in the fridge that needs using soon and this sound like just the ticket.
Nadia
Hi Frank, let me know how it turns out! Thanks!
Dan Chow
Hello Nadia!
i made this tonight. i nearly ruined it because i absentmindedly dump over a teaspoon of salt into the flour! luckily for me the salt grain was too large to sift through so i was able to remove the remaining salt in the sifter.
anyway, the cake turned out delightful! i think i will make this for an upcoming birthday lunch with family in Brooklyn.
thanks for the recipe!
dan
Nadia
Hi Dan, so glad to hear you were able to rescue the cake. And thrilled to hear you enjoyed this easy cake. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Lui
Hi Nadia,
My wife made this for a dinner party and it was super delicious. Blueberries and lemon are made to go together. Great taste, texture and not too sweet.
Nadia
Hello Lui, thank you, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this simple cake. It is definitely not too sweet, exactly why I enjoy it! Thanks again!
Vicki
Hi Nadia,
I can’t wait to make this. I have a question regarding substitutions… Can I substitute almond flour, or coconut flour for the all purpose flour? Or do you have another preferable substitution?
Thank you!
Nadia
Hello Vicki, to be honest with you I don't have much baking experience with coconut flour. When it comes to the almond flour, I think it can work but of course the texture will not be the same as with AP flour. If you do give it a try please let me know how it turns out!
Annie
Hello!! I just made your blueberry ricotta pie and it was awesome! My Spanish husband loved it too because he says American desserts are just too sweet! I loved it because it resembles the cheese danishes with fruit we would eat back home. We tried it warm and think It gets better when it is cold. Thanks for this great ricotta recipe! You should contact the ricotta cheese company and have them contract you to write a ricotta cookbook for their products because all of your ricotta recipes are so spectacularly good! Tanti auguri!!!
Nadia
Hello Annie, I'm thrilled to hear that you and your husband enjoyed it! And I also love cheese danishes with fruit, you are right it is similar. I'd love to write a ricotta recipe cookbook, great idea, something to look into for sure one day. Thank you for your kind words, they are very much appreciated!