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This Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake is sunshine on a plate! It’s a soft, tender lemon cake made rich with creamy ricotta, brushed with bright lemon simple syrup, then finished with a silky lemon glaze that seeps into every little groove. Moist, citrusy, and super easy to make!
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake Overview
- 🎂 Prep Time: 30 mins
- 🍰 Bake Time: 1 and 10 hour
- 👥Serves: 12
- 🔥Method: Mix, bake, cool, frost!
- 🍫Flavor Profile: Lemony, creamy, and soft
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy
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If you’ve been here for a while, you know that there are few desserts that I love more than a pound cake. But wow, this Lemon Ricotta cake – it’s next level! It’s reminiscent of my sour cream pound cake but with a citrusy ricotta spin.
The ricotta does something magical here. Unlike butter-only cakes that can sometimes be dense, the ricotta creates an incredibly moist crumb and fluffy texture that stays soft for days. It’s subtle enough that you might not notice it as the secret ingredient, but what you will notice is how incredibly lucious and tender this delicious cake is as soon as you take that first bite!
Key Ingredients
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)
- Whole Fat Ricotta Cheese adds richness and moisture and creates a soft, tender crumb while giving the cake subtle creaminess. Be sure to use whole fat ricotta for the best flavor and texture.
- Cake Flour is a lower protein flour that produces a delicate, fine crumb and prevents the pound cake from becoming dense.
- Lemon Zest infuses the batter with bright, natural citrus oils for bold lemon flavor without adding excess liquid. Save the lemons for fresh lemon juice for the glaze!
- Vanilla Extract, Lemon Extract & Almond Extract – these are layered flavor boosters! Vanilla adds warmth, lemon extract intensifies the citrus flavor, and almond provides subtle floral/nutty notes.
- Whole Milk adds moisture and fat for a smooth batter and soft texture.
- Salted Butter brings the rich flavor and provide structure for the cake. When creamed with sugar, it traps air to help the cake rise and stay tender.
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
(full recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)
Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
Step 1: Whisk together dry ingredients: cake flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Make the Batter: Add fresh lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant and pale yellow, then cream with butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer (or an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Combine and bake! Add the dry ingredients in stages, alternating with the milk, ricotta, and extracts. Mix just until smooth, pour into the prepared pan, and bake until golden and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Step 4: Brush and Glaze: Simmer the lemon simple syrup and brush it on top of the cake. Cool completely on a wire rack, then drizzle with a smooth lemon glaze that settles into every curve of the Bundt.
Pro Baking Tips
This is an easy pound cake recipe, but here’s a few tips that ensure success every time!
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl often when mixing the batter. This prevents the batter from mixing unevenly/splitting and ensures all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients – this includes butter, ricotta, eggs, and milk. This ensures proper emulsification of the batter, giving you that tender, soft crumb.
- Bundt pans are notorious for sticking, be sure to spray the heck out of that bundt pan to prevent the cake from adhering! Baker’s Joy or any nonstick baking spray or even coating with butter and flour work well here too.
- Brush the lemon syrup while the cake is warm. The cake absorbs simple syrup best when it’s still warm — this locks in moisture and intensifies lemon flavor.
- Add in some blueberries for a little lemon blueberry pound cake action. This addition is next level, especially with a cup of coffee.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but whole milk ricotta is best. It adds more fat and moisture, giving the cake a softer, richer crumb. Part-skim may make the texture slightly drier.
If your ricotta looks watery, yes. Excess moisture can make the cake dense or slightly gummy. Thick, creamy ricotta can be used as-is.
This releases the natural lemon oils, giving the cake a stronger, more evenly distributed citrus flavor.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
More Cake Recipes
Desserts
Pistachio Ricotta Cake
Desserts
Chocolate Ricotta Cake
Desserts
Sour Cream Pound Cake
Desserts
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (or Hand Mixer)
- Pastry Brush (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (313 g) Cake Flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 4 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) Sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Vegetable Oil
- 4 (200 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk, (room temperature)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Lemon Extract
- 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Whole Milk
- 1 cup (240 g) Whole Milk Ricotta, (room temperature)
Lemon Simple Syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Water
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
Lemon Glaze
- 4 tbsp (56 g) Salted Butter, (melted)
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – cake flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside. 2 1/2 cups Cake Flour 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine lemon zest and sugar. Mix together on low speed for about 2 minutes, until fragrant and the sugar becomes a pale yellow color (you can also pinch the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers). 4 tbsp Lemon Zest 2 1/4 cups Sugar
- Add the room temperature butter and oil. Mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Begin adding eggs and egg yolk one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. 1 cup Salted Butter 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil 4 Eggs 1 Egg Yolk
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add half of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, about 20 seconds, then add the whole milk, ricotta, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and almond extract. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Then add the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. 1/4 cup Whole Milk 1 cup Whole Milk Ricotta 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 tsp Lemon Extract 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
- Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and pour batter into the pan. Tap the pan against the countertop to remove any bubbles, then bake for 60-70 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake is baking, make the lemon simple syrup. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Stir together and set aside. 1/4 cup Water 1/4 cup Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Once the cake is done, allow it to cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the cake with the simple syrup using a pastry (you can also spoon the syrup on top if you don't have a pastry brush). Allow the cake to cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled, make the glaze by combining melted butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in bowl. Whisk until smooth, then pour on top of the cake. 4 tbsp Salted Butter 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
Notes
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl often when mixing the batter. This prevents the batter from mixing unevenly/splitting and ensures all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients – this includes butter, ricotta, eggs, and milk. This ensures proper emulsification of the batter, giving you that tender, soft crumb.
- Bundt pans are notorious for sticking, be sure to spray the heck out of that bundt pan to prevent the cake from adhering! Baker’s Joy or any nonstick baking spray or even coating with butter and flour work well here too.
- Brush the lemon syrup while the cake is warm. The cake absorbs simple syrup best when it’s still warm — this locks in moisture and intensifies lemon flavor.
- Add in some blueberries for a little lemon blueberry pound cake action. This addition is next level, especially with a cup of coffee.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow just wow! I will be getting your recipe book! Love from London!!
Thank you so much!