Cherry Ricotta Cake
This Cherry Ricotta Cake is prettily rustic with pockets of juicy pitted and halved cherries, moist ricotta cheese, and a delicate dusting of powdered sugar. Serve it as a snack cake for breakfast or with your afternoon tea, or dress it up as a delicious summer dessert!
While rich and decadent desserts certainly have a place in my heart, I also appreciate lighter cakes that can be enjoyed any time of the day for any occasion. This ricotta cake recipe doesn’t disappoint! It’s easy to make, fluffy and moist, and looks effortlessly sophisticated with its gorgeous plump cherries and sugar-dusted topping.
The secret ingredient in this cherry cake recipe is ricotta cheese, if you haven’t already noticed! It adds just the right amount of moisture so you end up with a fluffy and light texture, loaded with flavor and not overly sweet. We enjoyed this cake twice this summer when our friend Erin brought her strawberry cake for dessert.
If you haven’t baked with ricotta cheese yet, you’re in for a treat! This star ingredient features in my Lemon Ricotta Pie, Strawberry Ricotta French Toast, and Flaky Blueberry Strudel – all perfect choices as summer-time treats! TIP: Make sure you have a cherry pitter – keep reading!
What is Cherry Ricotta Cake?
This cherry ricotta cake is a rustic-yet-elegant dessert that leans into the use of simple ingredients. The rich ricotta cheese creates a tender, moist crumb that’s then studded with deep wine-colored cherries for a pop of sweet and tart flavor.
But the real secret to its irresistible flavor? A hint of almond extract! That tiny splash makes all the difference, adding warmth and a nutty depth that perfectly complements the bright cherries and creamy ricotta.
While ricotta cake has deep Italian roots, many of today’s recipes range from breakfast variations (like lemon ricotta cake) to more festive holiday desserts. The cheese’s creamy texture and mild sweetness make it versatile for both rustic and refined twists.
Ingredients needed to make this Cherry Ricotta Cake
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is the common choice for cake batter. For a deeper flavor, swap 1/2 cup with light brown sugar.
- Unsalted butter: Softened at room temperature for easy mixing. Salted butter works too, just omit any added salt in this recipe.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta adds rich flavor and creamy texture. Reduced-fat (low-fat) ricotta cheese can be used instead with mild, slightly sweet flavor and moist texture, although it won’t be as creamy and flavorful. Make sure to drain your ricotta first if it’s wet to avoid excess moisture in the cake batter.
- Eggs: Allow your eggs to reach room temperature for easy mixing. For an egg-free cake, use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg.
- Extracts: I’ve used vanilla and almond extract in this recipe for depth of flavor. Feel free to omit the almond extract and only use vanilla, if you prefer.
- Lemon: Freshly zested and juiced. It balances the sweetness, brightens the flavor, and improves the creamy texture of this cake.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the lemon’s acidity for the perfect rise.
- Salt: Always a must for balancing the flavors of baked treats. Omit the salt if you use salted butter.
- All-purpose flour: For a lighter texture, substitute 1 cup with cake flour.
- Fresh cherries: You’ll need to pit your fresh cherries and cut them in half as part of your preparation. Always use in-season cherries, bought from your local grocery store or farmer’s market for the best flavor. If cherries are out of season where you are, use frozen and thawed (patted dry) cherries or canned and drained cherries.
- Powdered sugar: A pretty dusting over the top of your cooled cherry ricotta cake.
How do you make this Cherry Ricotta Cake?
Prepare the pan and cherries:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter, including the sides! Set it aside.
- Pit the cherries and slice them in half. They don’t need to be perfect – just make sure they’re bite-sized! Set them aside while you make the cake batter.
Make the batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat the sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the drained ricotta and blend for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. This keeps the batter silky smooth!
- Stir in the vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until just combined.
- Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt, mixing gently. Then, gradually add the flour, mixing only until no streaks remain.
Fold and bake:
- Gently fold in 1 ½ cups of the prepared cherries (save the rest for topping!) with a rubber spatula. This gentle folding helps to keep the cherries from sinking.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining cherries over the top.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes at 350°F or until the cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan and is golden brown on top.
Cool and serve:
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully removing the springform collar.
- To transfer it off the base of the pan, run a butter knife around the bottom, then slide a spatula underneath. (Or keep it on the base for easy serving!)
- Once fully cooled, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar for a pretty finish.
- Slice and enjoy!
Serving
Serve this scrumptious cherry ricotta cake for breakfast, as a sweet snack, or summer dessert with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, sweetened crème fraîche, or a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. If you want an extra dose of cherry flavor, pair this almond ricotta cake with my Black Cherry Ice Cream!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover cherry ricotta cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors of the cake deepens over time!
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled cherry ricotta cake in plastic and again in foil. Transfer it to an airtight container or place individual wrapped slices in a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving again.
- Make ahead: You can bake this ricotta cake ahead of time and even freeze it for up to a month. Add the light dusting of powdered sugar to the top of the cake just before serving.
- Fruity twist: If you don’t like cherries, make berry ricotta cake with your favorite berries, such as raspberry ricotta cake, blueberry ricotta cake, or strawberry ricotta cake.
- Crunchy topping: Since this cherry ricotta cake already has almond extract, it makes complete sense to top it with thinly sliced almonds for a delicious crunchy topping that looks incredibly sophisticated too!
- Chocolate twist: Instead of powdered sugar, sprinkle grated chocolate over the top of the almond ricotta cake for a touch of decadence and rich flavor contrast to the light and fluffy cake.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
- Prevent sinking: To prevent your cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, lightly toss them in flour before gently folding them into the cake batter.
- Double the recipe: Bake in two springform pans when catering to a crowd (adjust baking time by 5-10 minutes) and keep a close watch.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake. Stop mixing the batter as soon as the flour is incorporated and you don’t see flour streaks.
- Check for doneness: You can tell when the cherry ricotta cake is done baking by pulling away from the sides of the springform pan, the top turning a golden brown color, and by inserting a toothpick into the middle which should return clean.
- Cherry pitter: I highly recommend buying a cherry pitter if you don’t have one! It saves so much time and makes the process of pitting the fresh cherries effortless.
More cherry-licious desserts you may want to try:
Get the Recipe:
Cherry Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened(one and a half sticks)
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, drained if wet
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 210 grams
- 2 cups fresh cherries, divided (pitted and cut in half)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan, including the sides.
- Pit the cherries, cut in half, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together the sugar and butter until well combined. Add in the drained ricotta and blend until light and fluffy; about 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in the vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest and juice, and mix until combined. In the same bowl, mix in the baking soda and salt. Then, slowly mix in the flour until the mixture is just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Fold in 1 ½ cups of the cherries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle on the remaining blueberries.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes. You will know the cake is done when the sides pull away from the edges of the pan and the top is golden brown. Always test for doneness using a toothpick inserted in the middle of cake; the toothpick will come out clean when the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar of the pan. To remove the base, use a butter knife to loosen the bottom then slide the cake off using a spatula (or you can serve it on the base). Once the cake is cool, dust the top with powdered sugar before serving.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
