This Ricotta Cake is an ode to the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking. With an easy-to-make one layer cake, vanilla-flecked stewed cherries, and a pile of soft and tangy crème fraîche whipped cream, it’s the perfect cake for a hot summer evening.
I got the idea for this cake a year ago when I had dinner at a swanky Italian place in Seattle with my sister. We ordered an appetizer thinking we were getting cherry tomatoes with burrata, which sounded classic and perfectly summery. But when the dish came out, we realized we had read the menu wrong. The appetizer came with macerated cherries, not cherry tomatoes. And it was SO.GOOD.
Ever since, I’ve had this flavor combo on my mind, of sweet summer cherries with soft milky cheese. This recipe is my take on that appetizer, in cake form.
Recipe highlights
- Light & lovely ricotta cake. The lemony cake gets its soft texture and tight crumb from the addition of ricotta cheese.
- Saucy fresh summer cherries. Cherries are cooked with a whole vanilla bean just until they fall apart in their own sauce.
- Billows of tangy whipped cream. A tall layer of slightly tangy créme fraîche whipped cream envelops the cherries – better than any frosting.
- Perfect for hosting a summer dinner party. This cake is light and yet indulgent, and can feed a crowd. Plus, it looks stunning. It’s the perfect end to a summer meal when you want to impress with little effort.
- Simplicity at its best. A dessert like this is the perfect example of letting the ingredients speak for themselves. An easy cake, some fresh fruit, and a 4-ingredient topping is all you need.
Making the ricotta cake
This cake recipe is based on a classic Italian ricotta cake. It’s a simple and straightforward recipe, which I appreciate very much.
Start by gathering all your ingredients, preheating the oven, and buttering a 9-inch cake pan.
Step one: Combine the sugar and lemon zest, mixing for a minute or two. This process helps to pull out the essential oils from the lemon peel, bringing tons of bright citrusy flavor.
Step two: Add the butter and cream the mixture until fluffy, then beat in the whole milk ricotta.
Step three: Add the eggs, one at a time, blending each egg in thoroughly before adding the next and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions. Then mix in the vanilla, almond extract, and lemon juice.
Step four: Fold the dry ingredients in. Pour the ricotta cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is lightly golden brown and the top springs back when touched, about 45-55 minutes. Let the cake cool before removing from the pan and adding the toppings.
Making the stewed cherries
For the cherry topping, we’ll cook the fruit briefly until it gets soft and juicy, then thicken it slightly. You can use whole pitted cherries for this or slice them in half. I opted to slice about half of the cherries for a mixture of textures.
Cherry pitting hack
Don’t have a cherry pitter? There are a few household items you can use to pit cherries that work great. My favorite tool is a reusable glass straw, but you could also use a chopstick. Simply pluck out the stem and then jam the straw or chopstick through the middle of the cherry to pop out the pit.
Step one: Add the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a sauce pot. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the beans with the back of a knife. Add the beans and whole vanilla pod to the pot.
Step two: Cook cherry mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until cherries start to fall apart, about 5-7 minutes.
Step three: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until completely dissolved. Pour this cornstarch slurry into the cherry mixture and bring to a boil, stirring, for about a minute. The mixture will become thick very quickly.
Step four: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the almond extract. Allow the cherry mixture to cool completely, then remove the vanilla bean.
Making the crème fraîche whipped cream
All you need to do to make the whipped cream is whisk everything together for a few minutes until you have soft to medium peaks.
Then, you can pile it high on your ricotta cake layer. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to create “walls” around the edges, so you have a nest to scoop your cherries into. You can decorate the cake further if you like, but I felt the only thing it needed was a few mint sprigs for a color pop.
Serving & storing
This cake is best served right away, at room temperature. However, I also love it super cold, straight from the refrigerator! At room temperature, the cake will be more soft and light, but when it’s cold it has a more dense texture.
You can store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
More simple one-layer cakes:
- Raspberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Elderflower Cake
- Almond Streusel Cake with Balsamic Strawberries
- Buttermilk Citrus Cake
If you make this Ricotta Cake, please leave a star rating and review below the recipe card. It helps other readers know that this recipe is something they should make, too!
Ricotta Cake with Stewed Cherries
Equipment
- 9-inch springform or round cake pan
- Stand mixer with paddle & whisk attachments
Ingredients
Ricotta Cake
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 6 ounces ( 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, soft room temperature
- 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- juice of 1 lemon, (2-3 tablespoons)
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Stewed Cherries
- 3 cups (about 1 pound) fresh cherries, pitted
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 3 tablespoons sugar or vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For ricotta cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch springform or round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Add sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until well blended and fragrant, 1 minute.
- Add butter; cream until soft and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Beat in ricotta until incorporated.
- Add eggs, one at a time, blending each egg in thoroughly before adding the next. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions. Add vanilla, almond extract, and lemon juice.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, beating on low until almond blended.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and finish folding in the flour with a spatula, just until no streaks remain.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until lightly golden brown and top springs back when touched, about 45-55 minutes.
- Place cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from pan. Let cake cool completely, then remove parchment from bottom and place cake on a serving plate.
For the cherries:
- Add pitted cherries (sliced or whole), sugar, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla bean to a sauce pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until cherries start to get juicy and soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until completely dissolved. Pour this cornstarch slurry into the cherry mixture. Boil mixture, stirring, for about 1 minute, until mixture is thickened.
- Remove from heat. Add almond extract; stir to combine. Allow cherry mixture to cool completely, then remove vanilla bean and discard.
For the whipped cream:
- Add heavy cream, crème fraîche, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Whisk on high until mixture forms soft to medium peaks, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust sweetening, if desired.
Assemble cake:
- Top cake with créme fraîche whipped cream, using a spatula or spoon to create a divot in the middle to hold the cherries.
- Scoop cooled cherries on top, scraping their juices with them.
- Slice and serve at room temperature or cold.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
