This slightly sweet ricotta pound cake packs enough lemon flavor to satisfy all who love a moist and dense lemony dessert.
Pound cake got its name from the original recipe that was made with 1 pound of butter, 1 pound of flour, 1 pound of sugar, and 1 pound of eggs.
Seems it should have been named 4 pound cake. Ha ha!
This pound cake gets some of it moistness from the ricotta cheese. If you are up for it, making homemade ricotta is super super easy! The recipe we have here on Great 8 Friends is enough for this cake and extra for other delicious recipes!
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Only a few ingredients needed
Additionally if you want to add the glaze to the pound cake, you will need confectioners sugar and more fresh lemon juice.
Easy to prepare
This lemon ricotta pound cake is one of those desserts you can make ahead of time and have ready just in case you need a bit of sweet with your coffee or at the end of a meal.
You will need three bowls and one greased and floured loaf pan.
The Cake
- Combine the dry ingredients. If you don't have cake flour you can make a substitute.
- Whip together the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
- Combine the remaining ingredients: ricotta cheese, melted butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
- Add the ricotta mixture to the batter.
- Bake!
The Glaze
Stir together the sugar and lemon juice. If you would like a thicker (more frosting like) glaze, increase the sugar to 1 cup and add a tablespoon of milk to the recipe below.
Serve your Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with:
This was a perfect dessert to bring to Jurga and Tim's Chicago Little Italy Gr8 Dinner Party!
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with a Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
- 2 cups cake flour, (See Gr8 note below)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 3 Tablespoons lemon zest, ~ zest of one large lemon
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon Glaze (See Gr8 Notes below)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest, optional for a more zesty lemony flavor
Instructions
Lemon Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. (You can also use vegetable shortening and flour.)
- In a medium bowl, combine together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together using the whisk attachment the sugar and eggs. Whisk for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. If using a hand mixer, you might need to beat longer (4-5 minutes).
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula to combine.
- Add ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture and stir with the spatula until combined. Add the remaining cheese mixture and gently stir until completely combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Check the doneness with a cake tester or toothpick. If the cake needs more time but is golden brown, lay a piece of foil on the top and bake longer. Check after each additional 5 minutes of baking.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan.
- While the cake is cooling, make the lemon glaze. Pour all the glaze over the top of the cake once the cake is removed from the pan. Some will drip down the sides.
Lemon Glaze (See Gr8 Note below)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice (and zest if you are using it) until completely combined.
Notes
Gr8 Notes:
- If you don't have cake flour, you can make your own with all-purpose flour and corn starch.
- The pound cake can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored for 3 days at room temperature. A couple of seconds in a microwave or steam oven brings the cake back to life.
- Glaze - If you would prefer a thicker more frosting-like glaze, combine 1 cup of confectioners sugar with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of milk.
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