Ricotta cheese transforms this raspberry orange ricotta cake into a rich, dense, and INCREDIBLY moist dessert you won’t be able to get enough of! It’s such a simple cake you need in your cake repertoire!
Cake is so not a normal thing we do around here, guys. A million times YES to turning over a new cake leaf.
I know that ricotta cake sounds weird. And it is a little bit.
Weirdly awesome and I am currently so freaking obsessed with this raspberry orange ricotta cake you don’t even know.
Hallelujah, Friday. Gives us pretty much the only excuse we need to eat tons of the best new cake ever. ??
It’s also a frosting-less cake, mind you. And it holds its own against ALL those frosting-smeared cakes and possibly even surpasses ’em. A humble little raspberry orange ricotta cake, guys.
Not only that but frosting-less cakes = SIMPLE cakes that only involve batter + baking + devouring. >>>
- Batter: there’s a whopping 1-1/2 cups of ricotta cheese in the batter and trust me, this might seem like a lot, but you can’t even taste it and it makes this cake SO unbelievably moist and dense inside. I also pack a double-whammy of orange zest + juice, plus a hefty pile of raspberries. All the flavors just sing a pretty harmonious song in this cake, friends. ♥
- I like to dust this cake with a little powdered sugar and that’s literally all it needs. It’s so rich, dense, orange-y, and packed with juicy raspberries it just doesn’t need anything else.
Except your undivided attention at devouring it, of course. ??
Trust me on this, sometimes the simplest cakes are the BEST cakes. I would seriously take this raspberry orange ricotta cake any day HANDS DOWN over a fancy frosted chocolate cake.
But hey, cake is cake and life is short so we should eat all the cakes??
Raspberry Orange Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-in cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, ricotta cheese, orange juice, zest, vanilla extract, and melted butter until smooth. In a separate small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Gradually fold flour mixture into liquid until batter is just combined. Fold in raspberries.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake cake at 350F 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar and slice into wedges. Enjoy!
Brittany Audra says
Love the idea of adding ricotta to cake!!
Sarah says
It’s seriously a life-changing texture!! 🙂
georgie @ georgieeats says
OH my goodness!!! That looks UNREAL! I love anything with orange, I will have to try this. x
Sarah says
Let me know if you do, Georgie! You will love this cake!!
Jackie says
Substituted plain for gf flour. Was a little underdone in the middle, not sure if it was oven temp slighty off, the flour or pan size. Still, very edible and delicious!!!
Katie says
Question about the pan – do you think baking this cake in a loaf pan rather than a cake pan would work?
Sarah says
A loaf pan would be fine! You may have to increase the bake time though.
Sujata says
Hi. Can I use regular wheat flour or all purpose flour instead of white while wheat flour in the recipe?
Sarah says
All purpose flour would be a fine substitute, Sujata. 🙂
Susan says
Wow looks good. Never would have thought of using ricotta as a cake.
Sarah says
It’s definitely a game-changer! 🙂
Michelle Bourie says
My favorite cake to make. And if I can make it, anyone can!
Sarah says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Michelle! 🙂
Kim says
Hi, can I sub GF all purpose flour in this cake?
Sarah says
Hi Kim – I’m unsure of how GF flour would work in this recipe as I have not tried it myself, however, you can certainly try it! Feel free to report back your results!
sally says
Hi can I use raw sugar instead
Sarah says
Hi Sally – I have not tested this recipe with raw sugar, so I am unsure of whether or not that would work in this cake. Sorry!
Sarah says
Hello! Looking forward to making this for an upcoming dinner party. Is it OK to make the day before, or is it best the day it is made? Thanks 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Sarah – you can definitely make this cake a day in advance!
Sarah says
Thank you for taking the time to respond 🙂 We all loved the cake, and it’s definitely made it to the make again list!!
Sarah says
You’re very welcome, Sarah! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this cake! 🙂
Lisa says
Can I use a spring phoam pan also how about orange zest juice icing on top homemade of course lol
Sarah says
You might have to adjust the bake time slightly, but a spring form pan would work! A glaze would also be a great addition to this cake. 🙂
Lisa says
Hello sweety can I use a spring phoam pan and use powder sugar in stead of flour to coat the bottom
Lisa says
I. Just seen my other comment thank you for getting back to me also can I double the batter to make it a bit bigger I can’t find other pans instead of spring phoam
Sarah says
Hi Lisa – I would not recommend doubling the batter as that would make for a bit too much for a spring form pan to handle. Good luck and happy Thanksgiving!
Lisa says
Hey Sarah I wasn’t sure if my comment posted have a fantastic holiday
Lillie says
Hi Sarah,
Could this cake be made without the raspberries? What adjustments if any would be needed?
Thanks,
Lillie
Sarah says
Hi Lillie – yes, this cake can be made without the raspberries! You shouldn’t have to make any changes.
Lillie says
Hi Sarah,
I was able to get the raspberries and make the cake. It’s delicious!
Will make it again for sure.
Thanks,
Lillie
Sarah says
So happy to hear that, Lillie. Enjoy. 🙂
Ati says
I just changed cranberries, really delicious, orange and cranberry !! Yummy!! I didn’t have Raspberry, i had frozen cranberry.
Thank you for the delicious cake recipe!!! Will make it again …
Sarah says
Cranberries sounds like a wonderful addition! So happy to hear you enjoyed this cake, Ati. 🙂
Rose says
Can it be made in advance. How long does it last should I store it the refrigerator
Sarah says
Yes it lasts up to 5 days in the fridge!
Sarah says
Can this be made into cupcakes vs cake?
Sarah says
Hi Sarah – we haven’t tested this recipe in cupcake form, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! You’ll have to adjust bake time, but just keep an eye on them. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!