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:
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.
Breakfast: Enjoy a thick slice with a hot cup of coffee or tea.Brunch: Cut it into small squares and serve it at your next brunch gathering.Afternoon Treat: Slice a wedge to enjoy as a delightful pick-me-up.Dessert: Serve as a sweet and lemony after-dinner treat with maple whipped cream, fresh berries on the side, or a drizzle of blueberry puree. A wonderful treat to bring to a special occasion, dinner parties, and summer BBQs, too.
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.
Can’t get enough of almond flour recipes? Here are a few more:
Almond Meal Banana BreadAlmond Flour Zucchini BreadPaleo Almond Flour BreadFlourless Chocolate CupcakesNeed more inspiration? Check out all our almond flour recipes
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