Moist and delicious glazed Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake is the perfect dessert to serve at your next brunch or dinner. Full of flavor, this cake can be made up to 3 days in advance. Glaze with limoncello and sprinkle with Paradise Lemon Peel.

Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake with paradise candied lemon peel on top

This light and flavorful Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake will definitely become one of your favorite Italian desserts. Because of the creamy ricotta, this cake stays super moist and airy.

When I first tried this cake, I couldn’t believe the flavor. I’ve never been a huge lemon dessert fan, but this cake is the exception. It is truly the perfect balance of sweetness with a hint of delicious lemon flavor.

If you love lemon, be sure to try my Soft Lemon Cookies made with lemon and olive oil!

Incorporate Paradise Lemon Peel

Moreover, incorporate Paradise Diced Lemon Peel to this delicious dessert to add a sweet lemony bite. Sprinkle on top for a beautiful finish.

Paradise Candied Lemon Peel

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Cake

If you have a stand up mixer, this is a great time to pull it out! Otherwise, a handheld mixer works well. First, you want to butter and flour a bundt pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Second, cream together the butter and sugar. Then add the ricotta and cream until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Incorporate in the eggs, vanilla, lemon peel and zest. Sift the dry ingredients and add those in. Fold in the candied lemon peel. Pour in prepared pan.

 cake batter in prepared cake pan

Bake for 40-45 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

lemon ricotta bundt cake

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until desired consistency is reached. Pour over the bundt cake and sprinkle on candied lemon peel. Serve warm or refrigerate for up to three days.

lemon ricotta bundt cake with candied lemon peel

Tips for Making Lemon Cake

  • Be sure to cream together the ricotta, butter, and sugar well so that you get an airy and fluffy cake.
  • You could also use this recipe to make a layer cake by dividing the batter between two cake pans and reducing the baking time.
  • Poke holes in the cake using a wooden skewer before pouring on the glaze.
  • For thinner glaze, add more water or lemon juice. For thicker, add less.
  • Substitute the lemon in the glaze for limoncello liquor if serving this for adults.

Looking for more delicious and easy cake recipes? Don’t miss Chocolate Toffee Caramel Cake or Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake.

Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake with paradise candied lemon peel on top

Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake

Super moist, this is the perfect cake to entertain with. 
4.95 from 100 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 306kcal

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup butter, softened (1 ½ sticks)
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup Candied Lemon Peel like Paradise

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice add more or less for consistency
  • Candied Lemon Peel for decorating

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt cake pan and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the ricotta and blend until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating well. Mix in the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. 
  • Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches. Fold in the candied lemon peel. 
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth as needed. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
  • Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add more juice or water if needed to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake, sprinkle with candied lemon peel, and serve. 

Notes

You can substitute the lemon in the glaze with Limoncello liquor if desired. Also, you can poke holes in the cake with a skewer so that more of the glaze seeps into the cake. Make ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal
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Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake

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Recipe Rating




134 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    You may want to edit your instructions or add to the notes to strain the Ricotta if it is wet. The flavour is delicious but it turned out VERY wet… almost an uncooked consistency.

  2. I’ll definitely be making this… It’s very reminiscent of your lemon ricotta cake, which I found on Pinterest several years ago. I make it ALL the time, and everyone goes crazy for it—especially when served with my favorite homemade blueberry sauce. This is definitely next on the agenda!! Keep those recipes coming!

  3. 5 stars
    I love lemon desserts and really wanted to give this a try when I came across it. It turned out amazing! I didn’t use the candied lemon peel but it was still delicious! My family ate it up!

  4. The best cake ever. Very easy to make and sure to please everyone! I will definitely be making this again…very soon!

      1. There is nothing mentioned in the recipe about draining the ricotta, only here in the comments. Is this a necessary step?

  5. I made this for my husband’s fellowship dinner tonight and he came back with not even a crumb next over. They absolutely loved it. I added an additional lemon for some extra lemon flavor and I found these sweetened dried nutty fruity lemon slices that worked perfectly. I will definitely be making this again!! Thank you!!

  6. 5 stars
    This was such a hit! My mother and grandmother said omg this takes me back to Italy! They go every summer! Thank you so much for posting this recipe it is absolutely amazing! I have lemons in my back yard, so I also made the candied lemons, and didn’t buy them! And of course all ingredients that were lemon! lol thank you
    , thank you, thank you

  7. Hi Angela,
    My cake collapsed when I took it out of the oven what did I do wrong? The texture is close however it still tastes nice 🥰

    1. I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like you either didn’t drain the ricotta, or you didn’t beat the ingredients together long enough. You really need to beat the ricotta with the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes. This will help ensure a fluffy and light cake. Glad to hear it still tastes great!

      1. Sure! Spoon the ricotta into a fine mesh sieve and set it over a bowl. Let the ricotta drain at room temperature for an hour. You can also speed this process up by gently pressing the liquid out through the sieve using a spoon. If you have time, you can set this up and refrigerate overnight. Hope this helps!

  8. I can’t find lemon or any other candied fruit. Do I really need to put it in this cake. I want to make it fir a church function this weekend.

    1. Hi, I have a question actually two, but what’s Ricotta milk? I normally see ricotta cheese, is that the same? And the flour should be sifted or self rise flour?

      1. Hi. You want to use ricotta cheese for this recipe. Also, the flour is unbleached all purpose flour. Hope this helps!

    1. You may want to add about 1/4 extra flour and start checking the baking time about 5-8 minutes before the time indicated in the recipe. Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

  9. This cake looks amazing. Can this cake be made 3 days in advance? If so, should I freeze it or just leave it in the fridge till it’s time to serve?

    1. You can make it ahead. Just refrigerate and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy!

  10. Could I use baked lemon ricotta from Trader Joe’s in place of the regular ricotta? If so, would I reduce the any of the lemon zest or juice?

    1. Hi Lisa. I’ve never tried that particular ricotta. I would say taste test it and add more lemon zest if needed. Let me know how it turns out!

  11. 5 stars
    I made this cake for the second time in a week. My husband says it’s his favourite. It turned out even better the second time because I let the ricotta warm up to room temperature. I didn’t have lemon peel, so the first time I used candied pineapple and the next candied apricot peel. Both were delicious. We’re having Afghani friends for tea tomorrow and I’m sure they will love it. You are my favourite online baker.