Name: Classic Ricotta Pound Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup butter (at room temperature); 1 and ½ cups ricotta cheese; 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar; 3 large eggs (at room temperature); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or lemon extract and zest from 1 lemon)

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Classic Ricotta Pound Cake is dense, soft, and sweet. It is guaranteed to get you to rave reviews at your next potluck!

This slightly sweet Classic Ricotta Pound Cake packs a flavor punch. It satisfies your craving for a moist, buttery, and tender dessert.

This dessert is incredibly rich, buttery, irresistible. I use whole milk ricotta in this pound cake recipe.

Pound cake loaf on a wire rack with slices cut.

Table of Contents

Classic Ricotta Pound Cake

I have plenty of pound cake recipes, but this is the only one that I make in a loaf pan. Usually, when I bake a cake or sweet bread in a loaf pan, they always sink a little in the center. For some reason, I can’t get the center to bake completely before the edges get overcooked.

Also, this pound cake doesn’t have a fine crumb-like most of the other pound cakes. It’s moist, dense, and creamy, but the crumb is actually quite large especially for a pound cake.

Lemon and ricotta just go together to me so I used lemon zest and lemon extract. I also test this cake with vanilla flavoring. Both flavors were good, but I prefer the lemon.

buttery pound cake made with ricotta cheese.

Serving Suggestions

Like most other pound cakes, this is delicious by itself. BUT, It also makes a great base for ice cream, whipped cream, berries, chocolate, or caramel sauce. And, how great would grilled peaches and mascarpone be!?

*Helpful comment from Lea –

I noticed that a few people had a problem with the cake being undone, or falling in the middle. When I use ricotta cheese in making cannoli cakes, you can’t beat it for very long or it will get runny.
I made this pound cake twice and I creamed the butter and sugar together first, then mixed in all of the other ingredients, then added the ricotta cheese last and mixed it in on low speed and only until it was incorporated. Don’t over beat. As well, I baked the first one in 2 – 9 inch round cake pans and the second one in a fluted pound/bundt cake pan and they both turned out fine. In fact I had one person who ate it say it was her new favorite pound cake. Its awesome, in fact, I’m going to make a 2 tier baby shower cake and cupcakes with this recipe for next week.

Here’s more or get all my pound cakes recipes here!

Classic Ricotta Pound Cake

Classic Ricotta Pound Cake is moist, buttery, and rich. This pound cake recipe yields a very dense but moist cake. It’s a smaller pound cake that makes one loaf pan instead of the standard tube or bundt pan.

Author: Paula

4.73 from 116 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: 12 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1 and ½ cups ricotta cheese
1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or lemon extract and zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter or solid vegetable shortening then sprinkle of granulated sugar or flour. Wilton cake release is great to prevent sticking too! (I use shortening and sugar. Sugar doesn't leave white patches like flour does.)
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, ricotta, and sugar until smooth about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time. The batter may look curdled at this point. It's okay just keep mixing. Stop the mixer and scrap the sides. Return the mixer to med-low.
Add the flour mixture and either vanilla extract or lemon zest and extract, depending on which you prefer. Scrap down sides and allow to beat about 30 seconds.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Test cake by inserting a wooden pick into the center. If the pick is clean or has dry crumbs the cake is cooked perfectly. Dark pans cook faster than light pans as well as if you put the pan on a cookie sheet to bake. (I ALWAYS put cakes or pies on another pan to prevent spills from leaking in the oven.) Watch the time and cake carefully according to your oven and your pans.
Allow cake to cool on wire rack 15 minutes before inverting onto serving tray.

Nutrition

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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111 Comments

I made this yesterday, as I had most of a container of Ricotta to use up! I only had about 1 1/4 cups of Ricotta, so I took a chance and made up the other 1/4 cup with some sour cream and heavy cream. I also used both the 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extracts. I always use either parchment paper or waxed paper to line my pans, so skipped the pan greasing. Cake turned out PERFECT! Mine was a bit darker in color on the top, but could be my oven. Baked at 350 for 50 minutes. We’re loving this recipe! Will try it again using all Ricotta, but would still use both flavorings. Thanks for the post.

Paula says:

07.22.17 at 8:20 am

I wish mine would darken more on top, so I’d call yours a success!!! It is good isn’t it? One of my favorites.

Reply

Hi can I use Xylitol instead of sugar for the recipe?

Paula says:

07.01.17 at 11:05 am

I have never cooked with artificial sweeteners.

Reply
dan says:

02.08.23 at 11:08 am

I have replaced a portion of the sugar with stevia and couldn’t tell the difference

Reply

Just made it. Mine dripped over the edge and even those little pieces were wonderful. I used fresh lemon rind & juice from lemons given to me by the local food bank and my eggs were small so I used 3 plus one extra yolk only. Can’t wait for it to cool 🙂 Thanks for the recipe

I made this ricotta pound cake and it came out perfect and delicious. Going to save this one.
Also took Jean’s tip- ” cook at 350 for first 15 minutes and reduce to 325 till done. ”
Thanks for this recipe.

I read above that you made yours in a loaf pan. I was wondering if I could still use a bundt pan for this recipe.

Paula says:

01.16.17 at 7:54 pm

You can. This pound cake doesn’t rise very high. The ricotta is heavy and prevents the cake from rising a lot, but it’s a very moist cake because of the ricotta on the flip side. I put it in the loaf pan because it won’t be very thick in a bundt pan. Watch the cook time, it may take less time to cook. Start watching the last 10 minutes.

Reply

I made this over the weekend and was impressed. Very good. The only thing I did different because of other pound cakes I make was cook at 350 for 15 minutes and reduce to 325 til done. Very good cake

Paula,
My hubby would love this and I’m going to make it soon. Pinning.
Annamaria

This got my attention because of the ricotta. I posted about some ricotta cars that turned out wonderfully: gingerwroot .com /cherry-ricotta-bars/ I’ve been so impressed by how ricotta bakes up in cakes and dessert bars! Your photos are great, by the way!