Apple Ricotta Cake

This Italian Apple Ricotta Cake is light, fluffy, and full of flavor. Made with ricotta cheese, diced apples, and fresh lemon, you're going to love this classic Italian dessert that's also great served as a breakfast or brunch treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 323kcal

Author Angela Allison

Equipment

9 inch springform pan

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (well drained)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ large lemon, zested and juiced (½ teaspoon zest, 1 tablespoon juice)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups all purpose flour (200 grams)
3 medium apples (peeled, cored, and diced - 350 grams)
powdered sugar for dusting top of cake (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line with a parchment round; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add in the ricotta cheese and blend until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. In the same bowl, stir in the baking soda and salt. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of bowl to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in the diced apples and mix until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar and base of the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Drain the ricotta: the key to a fluffy ricotta cake is to make sure the ricotta is very well drained before using. To do so, set the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth set over a bowl in the refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap and let all of the liquid drain from the ricotta. This could take up to 1-2 hours to fully drain or you can let it sit overnight.

Almond flour: to make this cake gluten-free, you can substitute equal cup amounts of almond flour for the flour in the recipe.

Make in a bundt cake pan: if you don't have a springform pan, you can bake this in a standard bundt cake pan instead. Adjust the baking time and always test for doneness using a toothpick.

Storage: leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze your apple ricotta cake for up to a month.

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