Name: Quick-mix lemon ricotta cake
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8-10
Ingredients: melted butter, for greasing; 1¾ cups (260g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 3 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar; 2 lemons, rind finely grated; 125g very soft butter (not melted); 1 cup (240g) fresh firm ricotta; 2 eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice; ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil; ½ cup (40g) flaked almonds; icing sugar, for dusting

Quick-mix lemon ricotta cake

A citrus delight.

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Serves 8-10

Cook

Resting

15M

This recipe for lemon ricotta cake is made using a simple quick mix method. It’s moist, sweet and full of citrus flavours.

Ingredients

melted butter, for greasing

1¾ cups (260g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

3 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar

2 lemons, rind finely grated

125g very soft butter (not melted)

1 cup (240g) fresh firm ricotta

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice

¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

½ cup (40g) flaked almonds

icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 22cm spring form cake pan, dust the base and sides with a little flour, tapping out excess. Line the base with a round of baking paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a medium bowl.

Add the sugar and lemon rind to a large bowl. Using a balloon whisk, whisk until rind is dispersed through the sugar. Add the soft butter, whisk until smooth, creamy and slightly lighter in colour.

Add the ricotta and whisk until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the flour mixture then the lemon juice and olive oil, whisk until combined.

Spoon into the prepared pan and sprinkle top with almonds. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing side of the pan to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar, and serve with thick cream, if you like.

Lemon ricotta cake tips

For a tender, delicate crumb, it’s important not to over mix the ricotta and eggs. Don’t be alarmed by the cake’s tendency to dip ever so slightly in the centre. It gives it a slightly rustic appearance.

How to serve this lemon cake

A slice of lemon ricotta cake with cream on a blue and white plate

Serve with a dollop of thick cream, if you like.

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Recipe developer Jessica Brook

Jessica’s career spans every corner of the food world - from professionally-trained chef to recipe writer, food editor, stylist, and consultant. She is an expert at crafting food stories and writing recipes. Jessica brings a unique blend of cultural curiosity, refined skill, and personal style to every dish she creates.

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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