This 5-star Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake is a delicious Italian lemon cake made with ricotta cheese and fresh lemon juice. Don’t miss this perfect dessert that’s been made and reviewed thousands of times!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW: 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
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.
If you love lemon, be sure to try my Soft Lemon Cookies made with lemon and olive oil! Or, try this classic Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake or Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake. If you love orange zest, be sure to try this Orange Ricotta Cake recipe.
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.
Looking for more delicious and easy cake recipes? Don’t miss Chocolate Toffee Caramel Cake or Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake.
You’ll Love Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake!
One bite of this moist and flavorful Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake and I guarantee it’ll become a new favorite recipe!
This is one recipe that my fans make again and again and always comment about how it’s their favorite recipe. It’s a simple recipe made with a few ingredients that’s be tested and perfected.
This lemon bundt cake is the perfect treat to have on hand for a light dessert or midday treat. I like to serve mine with a side of fresh berries and some whipped cream.
You’re going to love the bright lemony flavors of this cake and how simple it is to make, and it has the most incredible moist crumbs! The recipe comes together fast and tastes even better the next day.
So, if you’re looking for a guaranteed perfect lemon cake, give this Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake a try. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients
- Butter: use room temperature butter. Either salted butter or unsalted butter works.
- Sugar: just regular granulated sugar is needed for the batter.
- Ricotta: use whole milk ricotta cheese for lemon ricotta bundt cake. Be sure to drain the ricotta ahead of time.
- Eggs: large room temperature eggs work best.
- Vanilla: add a bit of vanilla extract for flavor. If you want an intense lemon flavor, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract.
- Lemon: you’ll need the lemon zest and juice of a large organic lemon. Additional lemon juice is needed for the glaze as well as lemon slices for decorating.
- Flour: all purpose flour works best. You can also use cake flour.
- Baking Soda: make sure you are using fresh baking soda and not baking powder.
- Salt: a bit of kosher salt helps to balance the flavors.
- Powdered sugar: I like to finish this dense cake off with a simple powdered sugar lemon glaze.
- Paradise lemon peel: you can decorate the easy lemon ricotta cake with candied lemon peel for a pretty finish.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake
Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake is a simple dessert that’s full of flavor. Start by greasing a standard sized bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, or you can coat it with butter and flour; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Step 1: mix butter, sugar and ricotta
First, combine the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about two minutes.
Then add the ricotta and continue mixing until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. This step is crucial to getting a light and fluffy cake.
Step 2: add remaining wet ingredients
To the large bowl, add in the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
Step 3: add in dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
Step 4: bake and glaze
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top of the cake. Place on center rack in preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.
For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl until desired consistency is reached. Pour over the cooled cake and sprinkle on candied lemon peel, if using.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to cream together the ricotta, butter, and sugar well so that you get an airy and fluffy cake.
- Make sure to drain the excess liquid from your ricotta cheese before using. To do so, place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and let is sit for about an hour.
- You could also use this recipe to make a layer cake by dividing the batter between two 8-inch cake pans and reducing the baking time.
- 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.
- Store leftover lemon ricotta bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate up to a week.
How to Strain Ricotta Cheese
Strain the ricotta cheese before making your lemon ricotta bundt cake so you end up with a light and fluffy cake.
To strain ricotta cheese, place the desired amount in a fine mesh sieve. Set the sieve over a bowl and let the excess liquid seep out. This can take about an hour or so.
If you are pressed for time, you can use a spoon to mix the ricotta in the sieve to make the process go faster. You could also blot the ricotta with a paper towel or use a spoon to remove the liquid.
More Easy Lemon Desserts!
Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake
Equipment
- standard bundt cake pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta (drained)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice add more or less for consistency
- candied lemon peel or sliced lemon for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup bundt cake pan, or spray well with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the drained 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.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches.
- 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 to cool completely.
- 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 or lemon slices if using, and serve.
Can I replace the vanilla extract for lemon extract?
I was so anxious to make this cake and so disappointed. I dont think it is the recipe, I think it must be me. Extremely dense, doesn’t feel like cake. I used convection bake, about 45 min. Was starting to get too dark, poked for doneness and it appeared done, but didn’t rise like I expected. After I glazed and cut a piece, it was dense, im not enjoying the flavor, I feel like I’m tasting ricotta. Could I have not beaten it enough? I consider myself a good baker, i will try again. any thoughts?
I’m sorry to hear that the cake didn’t turn out for you. A couple of things could have gone wrong. First, I wouldn’t have baked using the convection oven. Because of how the air circulates around the food, you would need to lower the heat settings. Which is probably why your cake was dark on the outside and didn’t rise. As for the ricotta, you need to be sure to beat it until light and fluffy as instructed. Would love for you to try again using a standard baking method and being sure to whip that ricotta. And if you love lemon, add more next time. Let me know how it goes.
HinO don’t have a Bundt cake pan
Can I use a regular cake pan?
That would be fine. You just may need to adjust the baking time. Enjoy!
This cake looks delishous! Does the ricotta require draining before adding?
I will drain any liquid that’s on top of the ricotta, but no need to drain anymore than that. Enjoy!!
i dont want to go out or use candied lemon or anything candied so can i omit or substitute anything? thank you
You can just omit it altogether. Let me know how it goes
Making this for my daughter’s wedding shower. Could I do this recipe in mini bundt cake pans? I’d like easy to handle individual servings. I’m also adding lavender syrup to the glaze and will garnish with bits if lavender. Thank yiu!
Wow! That sounds amazing. Yes, you could definitely do this recipe in mini bundt cake pans. Just be sure to reduce the baking time.
Can I use part-skim milk ricotta in this recipe?
Yes, you can. Let me know how you like the cake!
I can’t wait to make it! Sounds easy and delish! Question: Can I freeze it? and if yes, do I put the lemon drizzle before freezing…..or wait til it’s defrosted to poke the holes and drizzle the lemon glaze?
Hi Phyllis. You can make this cake ahead and freeze it for up to a month. I would wait to add the lemon glaze until after you have defrosted the cake though. Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks 🙂
DELICIOUS CAKE! Got rave reviews from my family and disappeared in seconds! I added fresh blueberries right to the batter and it was a hit! Thank you for a perfect recipe
So wonderful to hear that you loved it! Great idea to add blueberries to the batter. Thanks for the comment 🙂
Hi , just wanted to know type of flour do you use ( all purpose flour or cake flour? ) your cake looks sooooooo delicious 😋 thanks !!!
Hello. I just use regular all purpose flour for this recipe. And, yes, it is soooo delicious!! Let me know if you try the recipe and how it works out for you! 🙂
Hi Angela,
Can you use GF flour in the recipe?
Hi Brenda. I’m not too familiar with GF flour but if you have one that you love, and it’s a cup for cup substitution, then I’m sure it would work out just fine. Let me know how it goes for you.
You say lemon juice twice. Confused about amounts. 1 lemon only. I bought the paradise lemon peel candied. More detail about lemon juice
You will need two fresh lemons total, one for the cake and one for the frosting. For the cake batter you will need to zest the lemon peel first then squeeze the juice, adding both the zest and juice to the batter. For the frosting, you will need the juice of the second lemon. I hope that helps to clear up any confusion. The paradise lemon peel just adds texture and decoration, but the key to this cake is using fresh lemons as stated. Thanks and hope you enjoy the recipe!
In the first picture of the cake, the cake is shown as yellow. It doesn’t have that lightly browned look that bundt cakes have. Any idea on how to achieve this?
I think the photo looks yellowish because of the sunlight coming in through the window, but I can assure you that it was the standard brownish color that bundt cakes have. All that matters is that it’s delicious! Thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy the recipe.
What type of frosting would you recommend if you made it as a double layer cake? I’m thinking the glaze wouldn’t work well. Thanks.
Great idea to turn this recipe into a cake! I would make a basic cream cheese or buttercream frosting an add a splash of limoncello and grated lemon peel to the frosting. Let me know how this turns out for you.
I’m thinking your bundt pan was much larger than mine because my cake took much longer to bake (about 75 minutes). Nice flavor though.
Hi Ginny. I used a standard 12 cup bundt pan. I know that oven temps can vary widely so it is possible that your cake took longer to bake. I hope you enjoyed it otherwise! Thanks 🙂
Just baked this…it was easy and smells delicious! Do I add the icing while it’s still warm?
Hi! So happy you made this. Let the cake cool slightly before pouring in the icing. Hope you enjoy it!
I loved this cake .Best ricotta cake ive ever made thank you
So happy you loved it! Thanks for the comment.
Can I make 1/2 this recipe in a loaf pan? Perhaps using 2 small eggs? Everything else I can cut in half easily
I think that would work. Enjoy!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! Will this work in a 12 cup bundt pan? I always have a hard time figuring out if recipes will work in the pan I have. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! Yes, this recipe works well in a 12 cup bundt pan. Just be sure to test for doneness with a toothpick to make sure it is cooked through. Let me know how it goes. Happy cooking!
I just made this..it looks beautiful and smells great..it didn’t seem to rise much. Wondering if I did something wrong
Hi Margaret. Sorry your cake didn’t rise much. There are a couple of reasons this may have happened. It’s possible the baking soda was outdated or the oven temp was off. I make sure to change out my baking soda every three months and use an oven thermometer to gauge the temperature. It’s also possible that the wet mixture wasn’t incorporated fully… lack of air can cause flat cakes. I hope that it still tasted delicious and you loved it otherwise!
Love lemon ricotta cake! This recipe is a keeper
I love how refreshing lemon cake is, this recipe was no exception! Loved every bite of it, thank you 🙂 Making it again this weekend for a birthday!
I adore the flavor combo of lemon and ricotta. Especially in desserts. This look so perfect!
I baked this cake and its is delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exclusion of the candied lemon peel for garnishment that I could not find in grocery stores. But the taste of the cake was not compromised. I highly recommend this recipe. It is delicious and easy!
Paradise lemon peel is available from Amazon. It’s worth ordering! Loved the cake!
We’re doing Italian this Christmas! Found your recipe a while ago and am anxious
to bake it! Couldn’t find candied lemon peel for batter and decoration but
found orange candied lemon peel-hope its ok to sub for both! Next year
I’ll shop earlier and get the lemon! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Janice. So happy to hear you’ll be making this cake. It’s so delicious, I’m sure your going to love it! The candied peel you bought will be a fine substitution. Also, you can omit the candy peel altogether if you want. Let me know how this turns out for you. Merry Christmas!
Ricotta is the besttttt in cake!!! Cannot wait to try this one!!
I just made this cake. It is super soft and moist. The lemon flavor is excellent. You have to try it.
I am loving the fresh lemon flavor in this bundt cake.