Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
This decadent Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake has wonderful lemon flavor and added richness from ricotta cheese.
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
- 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (282g)
- 10 oz Ricotta Cheese (This is about 1 ¼ cups)
- 3 cups sugar (600g)
- 5 large eggs room temperature place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to speed up the process.
- 3 cups (342 g) cake flour (Not self rising. We use Swan's Down, bleached)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (2g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
- 1 tablespoon (12g) Lemon Extract
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice (squeeze from 1-2 lemons depending on size)
- zest of two lemons
Glaze
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons Milk, more if needed for the consistency you like (45-60g)
- Pinch of salt Approximately ¼ teaspoon
- Lemon Extract Start with 1 teaspoon and add additional until you reach desired amount of lemon flavor. You can substitute lemon juice for this also
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan or tube pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt to combine, set aside for later.
- In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the ricotta cheese, ¼ cup lemon juice, lemon extract, and zest of two lemons. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer (paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), add the softened butter to the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth.
- Next, gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs to the mixing bowl one at a time, blending after each until the yolk is incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the ricotta cheese mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. We do three additions of dry ingredients, alternating with two additions of wet. Mix just until incorporated.
- Scoop batter into prepared bundt pan. Our 10 inch bundt pan has a baking capacity of 12 cups batter (this recipe makes about 9.5 cups). If you are working with a smaller pan, be careful not to overfill. A good rule of thumb is not to fill more than ¾ full.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Baking times may vary.
- This makes approximately 9.5 cups of batter.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out.
Glaze
- Combine confectioners sugar, milk, lemon extract (or fresh lemon juice), and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
Decorating the Cake
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pound cake. You can do this with a spoon, or for more control, pipe the glaze through a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away.)
- If the glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add a bit more juice or a touch of milk until you reach your desired consistency.
- This cake doesn't need to be refrigerated. Store in an airtight container or under a cake dome.
Notes
You can freeze the lemon ricotta cake (either the whole cake or by the slice) for up to three months. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap followed by foil. To thaw the entire cake, move to the refrigerator the day before (still wrapped). Then move to the kitchen counter the next day, unwrap, and bring to room temperature.