Name: Gluten Free Italian Ricotta Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese; 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar; 3 Large Eggs, room temperature; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 tbsp Lemon Zest; 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice; 1 cup Blanched Almond Flour; 1/4 cup Cornstarch; 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder; 1/4 tsp Salt; Powdered Sugar, for dusting; Fresh Berries, for serving (optional)

This gluten free Italian ricotta cake is one of those recipes that feels fancy but is actually really simple to make. Light, lemony, and perfectly sweet.

The base of this cake is ricotta cheese, which gives it an incredibly soft and creamy texture. It almost melts in your mouth. If you’ve never baked with ricotta before, you’re in for a treat.

Instead of regular flour, this recipe uses almond flour and a bit of cornstarch. That keeps it 100% gluten free without sacrificing any flavor or texture.

You only need a handful of everyday ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep. The oven does the rest of the work for you.

Dust it with powdered sugar, add some fresh berries on the side, and you’ve got a dessert that looks and tastes like it came from an Italian bakery. Let me show you how to make it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Naturally Gluten Free – This cake uses almond flour and cornstarch instead of wheat flour, so it’s naturally gluten free without needing any weird substitutes or specialty blends that taste off.

Incredibly Moist and Creamy – The ricotta cheese makes this cake so soft and creamy on the inside that it almost melts in your mouth, which is something a lot of gluten free baked goods struggle to achieve.

Bright and Fresh Flavor – The combo of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice gives this cake a light, citrusy taste that keeps it from being too heavy or overly sweet.

Short Ingredient List – You only need about 10 simple ingredients to make this, and most of them are basic things like eggs, sugar, and vanilla that you probably already have in your kitchen.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Lemon Zest
2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 cup Blanched Almond Flour
1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
Powdered Sugar, for dusting
Fresh Berries, for serving (optional)

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk together the blanched almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

Step 4

Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture and fold gently with a spatula until everything is just combined with no pockets of flour remaining. The batter will be loose and creamy.

Step 5

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set but still has a very slight jiggle. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Step 6

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove the springform ring and let it cool completely. Dust generously with powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries if desired.

Helpful Tips

Use Room Temperature Eggs

The recipe says room temperature eggs and this really matters here. Cold eggs can cause the ricotta mixture to get lumpy and thick, which makes it harder to get a smooth batter.

If you forgot to take your eggs out ahead of time, just place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes. That’s enough to take the chill off and they’ll mix into the ricotta much more easily.

A smooth batter means a more even texture in the finished cake, so this small step is worth it.

Drain Your Ricotta if It Looks Watery

Not all ricotta is the same. Some brands have a lot of extra liquid sitting in the container, and if you dump that straight into the batter, your cake can end up soggy in the middle or take way too long to bake.

Before you start, open your ricotta and check it. If you see a pool of liquid on top or it looks really loose, spoon it into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. You want it to feel thick and creamy, not watery.

Whole milk ricotta works best for this cake because it has more fat and less moisture than part-skim, so try to stick with that.

Fold the Dry Ingredients Gently

When you add the almond flour mixture to the ricotta batter, use a spatula and fold it in with slow, sweeping motions from the bottom of the bowl up and over. You want to stop as soon as you don’t see any dry pockets left.

This batter is naturally loose and creamy, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look like a typical cake batter. That’s exactly how it should be. Overmixing will knock the air out and make the cake dense instead of light and tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use part-skim ricotta instead of whole milk ricotta?

You can, but whole milk ricotta gives this cake its rich, creamy texture and moist crumb. Part-skim ricotta has more water and less fat, so your cake may turn out slightly drier and less velvety.

If part-skim is all you have, try draining it in a fine mesh strainer for about 30 minutes to remove excess liquid before using it. That will help you get closer to the right consistency.