This Lemon Ricotta Cake reminds me of a burst of sunshine in a cake on a snowy day.
I think that is because while this is a delicious lemon cake, it can also be dusted with a bit of sugar.
Lemon Ricotta Cake
A while back I posted a popular recipe for a Whole Wheat Mediterranean Diet Olive Oil cake.
Since then I have had requests for more cake recipes that are friendly to the Mediterranean diet.
This lemon ricotta cake is also friendly to the Mediterranean diet.
I am going to share options for making this cake more friendly to the diet by substituting in certain ingredients. However, you can certainly make this a more traditional lemon ricotta cake by sticking to the standard ingredients.
Do you want to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet?
Find out how to follow the Mediterranean Diet here.
You may be wondering why we are adding ricotta cheese to a cake.
Obviously, we are adding it as a wet ingredient to help bind together the other ingredients. However, the ricotta cheese also adds she great moisture that is needed to make this cake taste even better (and not too dry!).
This cake is really all about the lemon and the ricotta cheese that go into it.
As you may have guessed, the lemon in this cake really gives it that wonderful citrus flavor. This great flavor seems to work perfectly with the sweetness of the sugar dusting that is on top.
Also, you may be wondering why we are using lemon zest in a cake recipe.
We are using lemon zest rather than lemon juice. The reasoning is that lemon zest gives us a pure lemon taste without adding a lot of other things, such as sugar.
Lemon zest is best when it is fresh.
You can find a lemon zester , which like a small grater, online. Or you can purchase lemon zest already made for you.
Tips Lemon Ricotta Cake
I just mentioned that you will need lemon zest to add the lemon flavoring to this cake. We will also be using ricotta cheese to add moisture to this cake.
Here are some more great tips for you.
- When selecting fresh lemons to zest for this recipe, please select lemons that have not been treated with any kind of a coating such as wax.
- While I am using Olive Oil to make this recipe more friendly to the Mediterranean diet, feel free to use softened to room temperature butter instead. You will need a quarter cup more of butter than the olive oil.
- To offset the citrus flavor of this, I am dusting my cake rather than adding a compote or frosting. Feel free to skip the topping or you can use a sugar free powdered sugar instead.
- A full fat whole milk ricotta cheese will add the most moiture and flavor to this cake. Yet, you could use a lower fat version keeping in mind that is will take some of the expected moisture out of your result.
This lemon cake recipe can be made with All Purpose Flour
You could however us a semolina flour instead. I have no tried this recipe using a whole wheat flour and thus, cannot make a recommendation.
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There is a difference between semolina flour and all purpose flour.
The obvious difference is that the semolina flour is a flour that is yellow and grainy in texture. Semolina flour is the choice flour for making Italian pasta. All purpose flour is a softer and white flour.
I mentioned a few moments ago that I top my lemon ricotta cheese with a light dusting.
Other options for topping this cake include frosting or a compote. Some folks will serve this cake with a lemon curd.
By the way, while you are here you may also be interested in these ideas.
- Vegan and Mediterranean Diet Brownies.
- Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake.
- How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet.
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Lemon Ricotta Cake
Lemon Ricotta Cake
I mentioned above that this lemon cake recipe can be made with All Purpose Flour
You could however us a semolina flour instead. I have no tried this recipe using a whole wheat flour and thus, cannot make a recommendation.
You will also need lemon zest to make this cake.
You can find a lemon zester , which like a small grater, online. Or you can purchase lemon zest already made for you.
The ingredients needed to make this Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Flour- 1 ½ cups. You can use All Purpose Flour for a lighter and softer cake. A semolina flour cake will yield a more authentic and yellow cake.
- Baking Soda- 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon.
- Salt- ¼ teaspoon.
- Olive Oil - ½ cup.
- Granulated Sugar- 1 cup. If you are using a sugar alternative, please use a granulated Sugar Alternative that measures 1:1 with sugar and is suitable for baking with.
- Eggs- 3 at room temperature.
- Lemon Zest - 1 tablespoon (about 1 average lemon zested).
- Lemon Extract- 1 teaspoon.
- Powdered Sugar- ½ cup or as needed.
You can make your own sugar free powdered sugar using this recipe or you can buy sugar free powdered sugar already made online.
How to make this Mediterranean diet friendly Lemon Ricotta Cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350. Prep your cake pan well for nonstick. For example, use Parchment Paper and then nonstick .
- In a medium mixing bowl use a whisk or a fork to mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the olive oil and sugar.
- For the next step, we will add the dry ingredients from the first bowl to the mixing bowl. Do this by adding half of the dry ingredients at a time, stirring between additions. The add the eggs, one at a time and the lemon zest and extract.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow your cake to cool before dusting with sugar or adding another topping or frosting.
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Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used.
This delicious Lemon Ricotta Cake is friendly to the Mediterranean diet and is easy to make. There are options for flour and other ingredients offered in this recipe.
Lemon Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- Flour- 1 ½ cups. You can use All Purpose Flour for a lighter and softer cake. A semolina flour cake will yield a more authentic and yellow cake.
- Baking Soda– 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon.
- Salt– ¼ teaspoon.
- Olive Oil – ½ cup.
- Granulated Sugar– 1 cup. If you are using a sugar alternative please use a granulated Sugar Alternative that measures 1:1 with sugar and is suitable for baking with.
- Eggs- 3 at room temperature.
- Lemon Zest – 1 tablespoon about 1 average lemon zested.
- Lemon Extract– 1 teaspoon.
- Powdered Sugar– ½ cup or as needed.
- You can make your own sugar free powdered sugar using this recipe or you can buy sugar free powdered sugar already made online.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350. Prep your cake pan well for nonstick. For example, use Parchment Paper and then nonstick .
- In a medium mixing bowl use a whisk or a fork to mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the olive oil and sugar.
- For the next step, we will add the dry ingredients from the first bowl to the mixing bowl. Do this by adding half of the dry ingredients at a time, stirring between additions. The add the eggs, one at a time and the lemon zest and extract.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow your cake to cool before dusting with sugar or adding another topping or frosting.
Recipe Notes
You will also need lemon zest to make this cake.
You can find a lemon zester , which like a small grater, online. Or you can purchase lemon zest already made for you.originally posted:
January 10, 2020*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that the links on this website, and specifically on this post, that lead to other sites may be affiliate links.
Nutrition
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
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