Almond Ricotta Cake

My obsession with baking with almond flour started with this Almond Cake. Since then, I have made and shared countless ground almond cakes. Almond Flour Chocolate cake, Strawberry Almond Cake, Flourless Carrot Cake, Apple Cake with Almond Flour, and Almond Flour Lemon Cake are to name a few.

And since I had some extra ricotta cheese hanging around, I decided to use my favorite flour and make this Italian lemon ricotta almond cake as a new addition to the collection.

Ingredients

The ingredients for Italian almond ricotta cake are what you would typically find in flourless dessert recipes.

Gather together unsalted butter, organic cane sugar, eggs, whole milk ricotta, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, almond flour, sea salt, sliced almonds, and (optional) confectioner’s sugar.

It is best if all your ingredients are at room temperature, so if you can, be sure to plan ahead.

How to Make Ricotta Cake with Almond Flour

Italian almond cake is much easier to make than you might think. Here’s how to do it:

1. Prep equipment: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and sides of the pan with butter.
2. Cream butter and sugar: With an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl at medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Beat in egg yolks: Add the egg yolks and beat until combined.
4. Add wet ingredients: Add ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract, if using. Beat together until smooth and combined.

5. Add dry ingredients: Add almond flour and salt to the ricotta mixture. Fold together until no clumps of almond flour remain. The batter should be smooth and slightly thick.
6. Beat egg whites: Wash and dry the beaters. Then, beat the egg whites on medium speed to stiff peaks form. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

7. Fold in egg whites: Stir one-third of the whipped egg whites into the batter. Then, gently fold the remaining egg whites in with a spatula until no streaks of egg white remain. Do not overmix.
8. Pour into cake pan: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with flaked almonds. Press them down slightly, so they stick.
9. Bake: Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are golden brown. The center of the cake may still be slightly wobbly. Place on a wire rack and let cool until set, about 1 hour.

Variations

• Keto Ricotta Cake: Replace the cane sugar with a 1:1 granulated low-carb sweetener, such as Swerve (affiliate link).
• Orange Zest: Replace the lemon zest and juice with orange zest and orange juice. 
• Raspberry Ricotta Cake: Add ½ – 1 cup of fresh raspberries. I recommend coarsely chopping and scattering them about once the batter is already in the cake pan to avoid squishing the berries.
• Almond Ricotta Bars: Bake the cake in a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish. Slice into bars when ready to serve.

How to Store Leftovers

The gluten-free ricotta cake is best enjoyed the day it is made, either at room temperature or warm. That being said, you can store leftovers to enjoy later.

• Storage: The leftovers of this flourless lemon ricotta cake will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. 
• Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the cake, as this can impact the texture.

Expert Tips

Here are a few helpful tips for the best almond flour ricotta cake on your first try:

• Use glass or stainless steel mixing bowls. Eggs do not whisk properly in plastic bowls.
• Use room temperature ingredients. This creates a smooth batter.
• Separate the eggs using the ‘pooling’ method. Crack all four eggs into a medium-size glass or stainless steel bowl. Then, scoop out the yolks with your fingers, gently tossing them back and forth in your hand to whisk away any excess egg white. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl until ready to use.
• An electric hand mixer makes for fewer dishes. I like to separate my eggs in the bowl I am going to whip the egg whites in. Then, I prepare the batter up until adding the almond flour and salt, wash the beaters and proceed to whip the egg whites. Less mess and more fun in the kitchen.
• When beating egg whites, make sure the bowl and beaters are squeaky clean. The egg whites will not aerate properly if there is even a speckle of dust, fat, or oil.
• Scatter the sliced almonds evenly over the surface. Make sure to cover the center and all those edges.

FAQs

Can’t get enough of almond flour recipes? Here are a few more:

• Almond Meal Banana Bread
• Almond Flour Zucchini Bread
• Paleo Almond Flour Bread
• Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
• Need more inspiration? Check out all our almond flour recipes

If you try this Almond Ricotta Cake recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.