Very easy to make, this is a moist and dense lemon ricotta cake recipe topped with mixed berries that can be fresh or frozen, so it can be made year-round. It's slightly dense and wonderfully moist, almost custardy, different from a more traditional cake with ricotta.
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Not your usual ricotta cake
A few loose ends came together, resulting in these soft and sweet berry ricotta squares. It's a simple cake that is wonderful for brunch or breakfast. It's one of my favorite bakes to make with ricotta.
I had a few cups of languishing ricotta cheese in my fridge, which I had bought to make this popular ricotta pie recipe. Or maybe it was this baked ricotta appetizer. Who knows. I use ricotta a lot.
This creamy and dense cake is a must if you're the least bit into sweet ricotta. You can say it's a cousin of our orange ricotta cheesecake.
The berries are a tangy surprise, perfect to cut through all that soft and monochromatic batter. You can use any combination you want, and I usually go for raspberries and blackberries. And red currants, when I can get a hold of them, which is not often.
Easy dessert: alternatively, you can make a plain ricotta cake, omitting the scattering of fruit on top and serving it with a sauce or compote like our blueberry sauce or the mixed berry compote.
Watch our step-by-step videos
Testing Notes
- When you remove it from the oven, the center of the cake should be almost set. While you don't want it to be too jiggly (like a brownie or cheesecake), don't wait until it's too firm and dry, or the cake will not be as creamy.
- Be careful with leaving it at room temperature for more than a day, especially if the room is hot. Recipes with fruit might not last long at room temperature because you run the risk of it starting to ferment and ruining the whole cake.
- I'm not a fan of freezing it. You can, but the texture might change a little when you thaw it; it will be grainier and less creamy. I'd rather refrigerate leftovers, well covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container to prevent dryness.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Ricotta: Use full-fat, whole-milk ricotta for best results. The cake will be richer and tastier.
- Berries: any mix of red berries works, fresh or frozen. I like to use blackberries and raspberries for their tanginess and acidity. They pair very well with ricotta cheese. Blueberries are another one you can add to the mix for more variety.
- Flour: I have made it with all-purpose and cake flour with excellent results.
- Milk: You can use whole milk (for richer results), but 2% milk also works.
- Citrus zest: both orange and lemon zest work very well with ricotta and berries. You can also use a mix of both.
Variations & Substitutions
- Light brown sugar instead of white.
- Instead of milk, use buttermilk or vegetable ones like almond milk or coconut milk.
- Spices: add some ground cinnamon or cardamom, depending on the berries you use. A grating of ginger can add a spicy kick.
- Liqueurs: besides vanilla, you can add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of liquor like creme de cassis, Licor 43 (vanilla citrus), orange liquor like Cointreau and Grand Marnier, or Frangelico (hazelnut). Any alcohol you like paired with berries.
- Berry topping: you can also use a good berry jam or sauce, add dollops and swirl them on top if you don't have whole berries.
- Lemon raspberry ricotta cake: This is a very popular iteration where you only use frozen or fresh raspberries (same amount) and add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, which you subtract from the amount of milk.
Process steps
This is a lemon ricotta cake with fresh berries that's very easy to assemble: you need a large bowl, an electric mixer, and a silicone or rubber spatula.
Ricotta
Add ricotta and flavorings, and mix well. At this point, I use a spatula for mixing.
Dry ingredients
Add them alternating with the milk.
Begin and end with the flour mixture and don't overmix or beat the batter. Use a whisk or silicon spatula.
Berries
Use fresh or frozen mixed berries over the smooth cake batter.
Baking
Bake as directed, and make sure you don't overbake it. This is important if you want a creamy cake.
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Berry Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, ¾ of a lemon approx
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk ricotta cheese, strained if it has too much liquid
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups berries, any mix (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter or spray a square 8-inch baking pan or cake pan. If you use a 9-inch pan, the cake will be shorter and bake faster, so check for doneness earlier.
- If you want, line the pan with a piece of parchment paper, covering its bottom and two sides. The other two sides will remain unlined but greased. This will help you remove the cake after it's baked.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat ½ cup unsalted butter with ½ cup sugar for 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and mix well.
- Add 1 ¼ cups whole milk ricotta cheese and combine everything. I use the spatula from this step onward to avoid overmixing the batter.
- Sift 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt (I do it directly over the mixture, but you can use a separate bowl) and add to the wet ingredients in three parts, alternating with ¾ cup milk in two parts. That means that you start and end with flour. Do not beat much, just until everything is combined. The dough is very creamy but with texture.
- Scrape batter into the prepared pan and scatter 1 ⅓ cups berries on top.
- Bake cake for about 30 minutes, until it has light golden brown sides and the center is almost set. If you use a cake tester or toothpick it should come out almost dry, or with very few moist crumbs attached. Don't overbake.
- Let the cake cool completely on a metal wire rack before removing it from the pan. First, loosen the unlined sides with a smooth-bladed knife or spatula, and then lift the whole block (carefully because it's a soft cake) and transfer it to a board. Cut into squares and serve.
- Refrigerate leftovers covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container.
Steph says
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! {I'm 3 days after you} These look incredible and I'd LOVE to take a bite outta them
lemongrovecakediaries says
I am like you I can't stand to throw out food either so every now and then I have to clean out my freezer to make room 🙂 Happy Birthday! BTW you are never too old for a pyjama party 🙂
unionjgirl says
Happy birthday! These look so yummy, maybe I need some un-birthday squares...
The Ninja Baker says
Happy Birthday, Paula! Hope you got the e-card I sent =)
These summer berry squares are perfect for a slumber party! I know you are doing a sophisticated brunch...I'm just saying =)
BTW Very much relate to the idea of preserving food in the freezer and then ending up throwing it away anyway.
P.s. Ditto to Helene's comment that the food blogosphere would not be the same without you. Hugs!
Guru Uru says
Happy happy birthday my friend 😀
These bars look utterly exquisite!!!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
~~louise~~ says
Happy Birthday, Paula! So funny, mine is on Saturday. June sure is a GREAT month for celebrations AND this amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing...
Rosie says
Happy birthday! Hope you have the best day 🙂 I love ricotta and summer berries together, your squares look absolutely delicious. These + the mimosas, boozy brownies etc. sound like the perfect way to spend the day!
Arthur in the Garden! says
Oh! Yummy!
Natalie G says
Great recipe! Love baking with berries in the summer.
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
Oh YUM! LOVE berries and ricotta. This is my kind of squares! Looks delicious Paula! 🙂
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Paula!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MY FRIEND!!!! I hope your day is filled with great memories, good food and great company. . which, it sounds like you already have planned! 🙂
LOVE these Summer Berry Ricotta Squares!!!!!!! Ricotta with berries or fruit. . delicious! Can't wait to try this one!
Don't let these end up in the freezer. . you'd better eat them all! 😛
HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Love you, my blogging sister!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Happy Birthday Paula! And this looks over the top but I'll have a brownie, please. And thank you!
Sunithi Selvaraj, RD says
These look so good !!! I love ricotta and this looks like such a great recipe. Grabbed the recipe off the other blog and making it soon ! Yours looks beautiful !
Spicie Foodie says
I can never get enough of summer berries. Your squares look so moist and well, my mouth is watering right now. Thanks for sharing!:)
Sunithi Selvaraj, RD says
These look and sound so good ! Love the combo and can imagine how creamy it must taste. I am making this ! Grabbed the recipe off the other blog !
Helene Dsouza says
Awww Paula you are so sweet. The blog world wouldn't be the same without you!
Happy happy birthday and I wish you good health and a good life!
Enjoy the celebrations and I wish I could have summer berries now or even better your ricotta squares!
Renee says
A very happy birthday to you Paula! What a great idea you had to freeze fresh berries to enjoy later.
Thanks a bunch for the kind shoutout of my zabaglione too.
Angie Schneider says
We are fans of summer berries. These squares look so lovely!
Medeja says
Awesome! I don't have left over ricotta, but I have frozen berries that I need to use before holidays 🙂 thanks for this recipe
Alanna says
Oh, this looks absolutely exquisite! I love anything with ricotta... and berries. And a giant "happy birthday" to you!