A soft ricotta cake with chocolate chunks and topped with sweet raspberries, perfect for enjoying for breakfast with a Cappuccino. It's moist and delicious, an easy recipe to get on the table as a homemade cake for your family to enjoy.
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In Italy, breakfast is usually sweet (check out this post about What do Italians eat for breakfast?). With coffee, Cappuccino, or tea, accompanied by a slice of cake or a pastry. A jam Crostata, a soft sponge cake, or a flaky Croissant. Nothing is better in my opinion to start the day!
This ricotta cake is soft and will keep moist for days, making your breakfast a perfect moment of sweetness. Raspberries and chocolate are a pair that I adore, just like in these Chocolate and Raspberries mini Bundt Cakes, so you can't go wrong!
Check out also these other Italian desserts, like this Strawberry Tiramisù or this Espresso Coffee Panna Cotta, these 10 Simple and Soft Italian Cakes and these 15 Ricotta Dessert Recipes.
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Ingredients
- Ricotta - Ricotta cheese is a fresh Italian cheese made with either cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk. It has a mild flavor and can be used in many different recipes both savory and sweet. You can also try to make homemade Ricotta, it's very easy!
- Raspberries - I love fresh raspberries, they're so sweet and flavorful! But you can use also strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries for this recipe. And you can use either fresh or frozen ones.
- Chocolate - I prefer dark chocolate in this cake, but feel free to use semi-sweet, milk, or even white chocolate if you prefer! I buy a chocolate bar and then chop it in chunks with a knife so I can control the size. But you can also substitute with chocolate chips.
- Sugar - I use raw cane sugar every day both in baking and daily use, and it tastes great in this recipe. But feel free to replace it with granulated sugar if you prefer.
See the recipe card for quantities. As with any baking recipe, I recommend using metric measurements to get the best result.
Instructions
This ricotta cake is very easy to make with just 2 bowls and a whisk. You can also use an electric or stand-up mixer if you prefer.
Whisk the Ricotta cheese with the eggs and the vanilla until you get a foamy custard consistency
In another bowl, mix well all the dry ingredients, then add the ricotta and egg mixture.
Mix well, then add the melted and cooled butter. Mix again until uniform.
Coat a 9-inch springform cake pan with butter and flour, then pour in the cake mix and top with the fresh raspberries.
Add the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to the dough.
Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 45-60 minutes. Check regularly with a toothpick for doneness.
Hint: Baking times can differ with different ovens. After 45 minutes, start testing with a long toothpick every 5 minutes. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Variations
Want to give a spin to this ricotta cake with different ingredients? Try these variations:
- Berries - Swap the raspberries with blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries (or all of them together) for different flavors.
- Lemon - Add the zest of 1 lemon to the cake dough to give it a lemony flavor which pairs so well with berries.
- Chocolate - Swap the dark chocolate with semi-sweet or white chocolate (yum!).
Equipment
I used a 24 cm (9 inches) round springform pan for this cake.
You can also bake it in a muffin pan to make ricotta muffins. In that case, bake them for about 15-18 minutes or until cooked through.
A whisk is enough to make the cake dough, but you can also use an electric mixer or a stand-up mixer if you prefer.
Storage
You can store the cake in a covered cake stand for about 3 days, or covered in the fridge for about 5 days.
You can also freeze individual slices in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or in the microwave using the thawing function, whenever you crave a slice of cake.
FAQ & Tips
Yes, you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. Add them to the cake following the same recipe steps, without thawing them first.
No cheese has the same consistency and flavor as ricotta, so it isn't easy to substitute. You can try using mascarpone or cream cheese, but I cannot guarantee the result.
This cake will stay soft and moist for days, so you can easily make it in advance and store it in a covered cake stand or cake container. Add the powdered sugar on top only shortly before serving otherwise it will be absorbed by the cake.
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📖 RECIPE
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave at low heat, then set it aside to cool down.
- In a bowl, add the Ricotta cheese, the vanilla extract, and the 3 eggs. With a whisk or electric mixer, mix all the ingredients until you get a smooth and foamy cream.
- In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the ricotta and eggs cream and mix well until fully incorporated.
- Add the melted butter to the bowl and mix well until you get a smooth dough.
- Roughly chop the chocolate into chunks, then add it to the bowl and mix well.
- Butter and dust with flour in a 9-inch springform round pan, then pour in the cake dough and smooth it out. Top the cake with the raspberries, pressing them down for ¾.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes. After 45 minutes, start checking with a long toothpick for doneness. Once the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool down completely on a rack before removing it from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Notes
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