Strawberry Ricotta Cake is the most delicious Italian-inspired dessert. The rich ricotta provides the cake with perfect moisture and density and the strawberries make the flavor pop. It’s like a combination between a cake and a cheesecake.
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It’s rarely that I share dessert recipes with you guys.
Why?
I’m not much of a baker and we don’t really eat a whole lot of sweets around here. So, when I do create a dessert recipe, it needs to match these two criteria:
- It needs to be easy to assemble and bake.
- It needs to be not overly sweet, but super flavorful.
This Sicilian Ricotta Cake recipe definitely meets both of those requirements.
Growing up, my Nanu was the master of cannolis, a Sicilian dessert that consists of tube shaped shells of fried pastry dough that are filled with either cream or ricotta. Nanu would always make both versions, since there was a big debate in our family about which were best. I always preferred the ricotta filled cannolis, since they were a bit less sweet, but totally rich and creamy.
I love how ricotta lends a creaminess to desserts that isn’t overly sweet.
This Strawberry Ricotta Cake is almost like a blend between a delicious white wedding cake and a cheesecake. It’s dense and delicious, with a little bit of tang from the strawberries that are running through it.
This cake would be just as welcome at a weekend brunch as it would served as a dessert.
Ingredients needed
- Ricotta Cheese – Whole fat ricotta cheese.
- Strawberries – Since it’s not berry season, I used frozen strawberries in this recipe. You’ll note that I quarter the strawberries. It’s easy to do, even in their frozen state. Removing them from the freezer 10 minutes prior to slicing them really helps too. Note: Fresh strawberries will also work in this recipe. You can also use other fruits like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or cherries.
- Butter
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Almond Extract – Don’t like almond flavoring? You could use vanilla extract instead.
How to make it
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, melted butter and almond extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing to just combine (don’t over do it).
- Fold in the strawberries.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
How to store
- Store the cake at room temperature covered with plastic wrap or in an air tight container for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- You can also store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the frozen cake overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe variations
- If you want to get extra fancy, you could give the cake a dusting with confectioner’s sugar.
- Don’t like almond flavoring? You could use vanilla extract instead.
- Try using other fruits like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or cherries.
- Spice it up a bit and add in a dash of cardamom or cinnamon.
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Did you try this ricotta strawberry cake?
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Full Recipe
Strawberry Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen, quartered)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine eggs, ricotta, butter and almond extract until smooth; add dry ingredients until just blended. Fold in strawberries.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and when a tester comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool, then remove from pan, slice and serve.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2019. It was updated in 2024 to add new information. The ricotta and strawberry cake recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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