Lemon Ricotta Cake for Afternoon Tea
by meike peters
I open the door to my fridge and find a package of ricotta that needs to be used soon. Dinner is already planned so I’m thinking about a sweet solution. My eyes pass the big pile of lemons on my window sill and my decision is made. A cake, spongy, simple and aromatic, with lots of lemon juice and zest and creamy ricotta! Some icing sugar on top and it looks as pretty as a Sunday tea time cake should look.
Sometimes, especially on a Sunday, I need something sweet to go with my tea but I’m too lazy to leave my cosy sofa and my books and magazines for too long. In these moments a quick and spongy cake can satisfy all you need, half an hour in the oven and it’s done. The air is filled with the sweetest smell and a golden piece of cake is waiting on my plate.
The ricotta lemon combination is one I use (and like) a lot, mixed with spaghetti and crushed black pepper, it makes one of the pasta dishes I cook the most, all year round. Tangy and smooth, it’s a balance the two manage to keep, on the sweet and on the savory side!
Lemon Ricotta Cake
For a 20cm / 8″ cake pan you need
butter, soft, 80g / 3 ounces
sugar 150g / 5.5 ounces
ricotta, 80g / 3 ounces
organic eggs, separated, 3
freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 tablespoons
zest of 1 lemon
plain flour 200g / 7 ounces
baking powder 3/4 teaspoon
pinch of salt
icing sugar to dust the cake
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F (fan-assisted oven) and butter the cake pan.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt till stiff. Combine the flour and baking powder.
Beat the butter and sugar till fluffy, add the ricotta and mix for a couple minutes. Add the egg yolks and continue mixing for 2 minutes. While still mixing, add the lemon juice and zest followed by the dry ingredients, mixing well for another minute. Stir 2 tablespoons of the stiff egg whites into the dough before you carefully fold in all of the egg whites. The dough is a bit firm so it may take some time to combine everything.
Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool and dust with icing sugar.
Ooh I just found this recipe & am going to attempt it tonight just a quick question as I have 250g of ricotta to use up & wondering if it will work adding all of the ricotta instead of 80g?
Hi Monica,
That’s more than 3x as much, I wouldn’t risk it. You could make a smaller pie of this recipe (2/3):
https://www.meikepeters.com/maltese-ricotta-pie-with-lemon-syrup-and-pistachios/
Or make the lemon ricotta cake and stir the remaining ricotta in warm spaghetti and add lemon zest, basil and parmesan 🙂
I was wondering if anybody knows if this needs to be refrigerated ….
No, you don’t need to keep the cake in the fridge.
Thank you for the great recipe!
The cake was delicious!
Thank you Claudia, I love to hear that 🙂 Meike xx
This is my favourite kind of cake – simple but delicious and just perfect for a little afternoon treat!
Me too, quick and easy, perfect for a cosy day on the sofa!
mmh, I love the pictures and the recipe! Looks so delicious!
Thank you Theresa! It’s a simple cake but it tastes so good!
Anything made with lemons has to be good!
Yes, I agree 🙂