Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake

This Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake is moist and delicious! This loaf cake is bright with Meyer lemon and rich and decadent from the ricotta cheese. The whole thing is then glazed with a simple, drippy and crackly lemon icing. This recipe will yield 8 slices.

What does one do when they see a bag of perfect, adorable, bright and beautiful meyer lemons? You buy two bags, right? Obviously.

Meyer lemons have the best of both citrus worlds. They’re like a lemon and mandarin orange melded in one citrus fruit. I love them because they aren’t as acidic as a regular lemon (although the cut on my finger would disagree) and they have that subtle orange-y scent. So there I was with not one but TWO bags of meyer lemons and really no idea what I was going to do with them.

Until I cleaned out my fridge.

While I was rearranging my cheese drawer, I spotted the tub of ricotta leftover from this recipe. I thought I’d make a lemon ricotta cake but using a loaf pan, therefore no layers and zero frosting, only a simple lemony glaze to pour over the entire thing.

To Make This Meyer Lemon Cake You Will Need:

• unbleached all-purpose flour – The base for the cake batter, giving the cake structure.
• fine salt – Use sea salt or pink himalayan.
• baking powder – Will create lightness in the batter, which makes it rise.
• meyer lemons – AThe zest and juice adds bright lemon flavor to the cake.
• sugar (white) – For sweetening and flavor.
• eggs – Adds richness and flavor.
• unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly) – Lends richness and flavor.
• pure vanilla extract – Adds warmth and enhances all of the other flavors in this recipe.
• ricotta cheese – Gives the cake moisture, richness, and a light, tender crumb.
• half & half – Lends moisture to the cake.
• powdered sugar – Will sweeten and thicken the frosting.

What Is Half & Half?

It is a combination of both heavy cream and whole milk. If you can’t find half & half where you live, simply measure out equal parts of both.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 180°C).

Spray a 6-cup loaf pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Alternatively, if using a standard loaf pan you can line with parchment and spray lightly with nonstick spray. I’ve linked the pan I used in the recipe printable at the end of this blog post.

Make The Cake:

Start by measuring the 1¼ cup of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon fine salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set that bowl off to the side.

Zest four meyer lemons and add that to a bowl along with 1 cup of sugar. Use your impeccably clean hands and rub the sugar into the zest. It should resemble wet sand and it should smell amazing because the sugar brings out the moisture of the zest and it’s heavenly.

To the lemon sugar, measure and add in 1/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained Meyer lemon juice, 2 large eggs, 6 tablespoons melted (and cooled slightly) butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. And whisk to combine.

In a measuring cup or bowl combine the 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese and 2 tablespoons of half & half or whole milk. Stir until smooth.

To the egg mixture add about 1/3 of the dry ingredient and stir until just combined.

Add in half of the ricotta mixture and whisk. Repeat with another third of the dry ingredients, then the ricotta and ending with the last third of the dry ingredients. Whisking in between.

You now should have a beautiful cake batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

It is done when a tester comes back with a few crumbs attached after inserted.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack. Or removing using parchment paper as handles.

Make The Glaze:

In a bowl, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar.

Pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained Meyer lemon juice.

Whisk well to combine.

Let the cake cool completely before drizzling the icing over top.

So pretty!!

Those drips are my favorite.

Such a bright and beautiful cake!

Slice and serve! The flavor of this meyer lemon ricotta cake is subtle and sweet, however when you get a bite with the frosting it’s like a meyer lemon kick to your taste buds.

Meyer lemon ricotta cake makes me happy. And it also makes me hopeful for all this dang snow to melt and that maybe there will actually be a spring this year.

Until then, let’s eat cake.

Enjoy! And if you give this Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 8 servings

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake

This Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake is moist and delicious! This loaf cake is bright with Meyer lemon and rich and decadent from the ricotta cheese. The whole thing is then glazed with a simple, drippy and crackly lemon icing.

Prep Time: 35 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, sea salt or pink himalayan
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 meyer lemons, zested
• 1/4 cup meyer lemon juice, strained of pulp
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and has cooled slightly
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons half & half, or whole milk, at room temperature

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons meyer lemon juice, strained of pulp

Equipment

• Nordic Ware Citrus Blossom Loaf Pan (6 cup)

Instructions 

MAKE THE CAKE:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (180℃).

  Lightly spray your loaf pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. If using a more traditional loaf pan, line with parchment paper and lightly spray or grease with butter.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the all purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set it off to the side.
• In a large bowl combine a cup of sugar and the meyer lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the sugar into the zest. Then measure and add in the freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice, eggs, melted (and cooled) butter, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
• In a small bowl combine the ricotta and half and half, stir until smooth.
• To the egg/sugar mixture; add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Then add in ½ of the ricotta mixture and whisk in. Repeat with the dry ingredients and ricotta. Mixing after each addition.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. If using a more traditional loaf pan, use the parchment paper as handles to lift the cake out of the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before topping it with the glaze.

MAKE THE GLAZE:

• Add a cup of powdered sugar to a mesh strainer that is set over a medium bowl. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. Slowly whisk in a tablespoon at a time of the reserved meyer lemon juice until you've reached the desired consistency.
• Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.
• Serve once the glaze has had a chance to harden.

Notes

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Serving: 1piece, Calories: 349kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 76mg, Sodium: 439mg, Potassium: 80mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 389IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 83mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Desserts & Sweet Treats

Cuisine: American

This recipe was originally posted on March 7th, 2014 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.