This easy Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake is a light, refreshing, and creamy dessert flavored with fresh raspberries, lemon juice, and zest. It’s perfect for spring and summer — and delicious any time of year.
I love this lemon raspberry ricotta cake because it’s moist and tangy yet tender, and it doesn’t require an electric mixer. All you need is a 9-inch springform pan, a few mixing bowls, a fine grater, whisks, and a spatula.
The three main ingredients are whole-milk ricotta, fresh raspberries, and lemons. The ricotta keeps the crumb creamy and delicate, the raspberries add sweetness and bright fruit flavor, and the lemon zest and juice give a refreshing tart lift.
Like other ricotta-based cakes, this one sits somewhere between a cake and a light cheesecake — it’s excellent served chilled with a dusting of powdered sugar or at room temperature.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients
- How to Make the Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
- Enjoy More Delicious Cake Recipes!
- Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Use the ingredients below for a tender, flavorful lemon raspberry ricotta cake. Most are pantry staples; notes explain a few specifics.
- Ricotta Cheese. Whole-milk ricotta gives the cake a rich, creamy texture.
- Lemons. You’ll need the zest of two medium lemons and about three tablespoons of juice.
- Fresh Raspberries. Fresh raspberries are ideal, but frozen (unthawed) berries or other berries like blueberries or strawberries will also work.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
How to Make the Recipe
Here’s a concise overview of the process. For the printable recipe, use the full recipe card below.
Recipe Tip: Have your springform pan ready, lemons zested and juiced, butter melted and cooled, and raspberries tossed with a little flour before you begin.
Step 1. Whisk the dry ingredients: granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
Step 2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Do not add the melted butter yet.
Step 3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula to avoid overmixing.
Step 4. Partway through folding, add the slightly cooled melted butter, then fold in the flour-coated raspberries. The batter will be airy but somewhat thick.
Step 5. Transfer the batter to a prepared 9-inch springform pan, smooth the top, and scatter additional raspberries on top.
Step 6. Bake at 350ºF for 40–45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely (1–2 hours) before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve.
Recipe Tip: The cake should be light golden and slightly pulled from the pan edges when done. A slight jiggle in the center is fine; if it’s very jiggly, bake a few more minutes.
Recipe FAQs
A 9-inch springform pan is ideal because removing the sides makes slicing easier. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan, but un-molding will be different.
Fresh lemon juice and zest give the best flavor; bottled juice will work but won’t be as bright.
Coating berries lightly in flour helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom as the cake bakes.
Yes. Use frozen raspberries without thawing for best results.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to one week to keep it fresher longer.
Enjoy More Delicious Cake Recipes!
Chocolate Ricotta Cake
Moist Banana Cake
Classic 4 Egg Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
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Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Whisks
- Citrus juicer (optional)
Ingredients
Flour Coated Raspberries
- 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries, plus extra for topping
- 1–2 tbsp all-purpose flour for coating raspberries
Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack just above center. Generously spray the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray and dust with powdered sugar.
- Toss the raspberries with 1–2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture until just combined. Stir in the melted butter and the flour-coated raspberries. The batter will be thick but airy.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and top with additional raspberries.
- Bake 40–45 minutes at 350ºF, until the top is light golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. A slight jiggle is okay; if it’s very jiggly, bake a few more minutes.
- Cool the cake at least 20 minutes before releasing from the springform pan. Cool completely, dust with powdered sugar if desired, and serve.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- The cake works with fresh or frozen raspberries and can be made with other berries as well. You can also omit berries for a simple lemon ricotta cake.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients used.