hi hello did you miss me? let’s get straight into spring baking with this simple glazed lemon ricotta cake. fair warning, though, I’m about to do the thing I hate. I’ve talked many (maybe too many?) times about my disdain for food waste. ingredients lingering in the fridge, waiting to be used, makes me physically itch; the thought of any ingredient going to waste makes me a maniac, repurposing leftovers a million times over just to avoid it.
so today I’m going back on my word. BUT I promise it’s worth it! what began as an earnest pursuit to recreate a lemon ricotta cookie I ate YEARS ago landed me here: a simple glazed lemon ricotta cake. not-quite-pound-cake but not a straightforward lemon loaf, this beauty lands somewhere in between.
let’s just call it a lazy lemon bake. you’re not zesting and juicing 83 lemons, just two! it comes together easily with (mainly) staple ingredients. bonus? it’s the perfect accompaniment for a Bridgerton binge. (but do not make me like tea, I just won’t do it.)
and if the leftover ricotta makes you itch, might I suggest you just make another cake? I promise no one will complain. problem solved. 😏
simple glazed lemon ricotta cake
Ingredients
for the cake
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- zest of two lemons
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
for the glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- pinch kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
for the cake
- Combine the zest of two lemons with the sugar. Work together with your fingers, making sure the sugar blends well. You'll notice a difference in color – that's good!
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan with parchment or spray well with baking spray. (Think bundt-level precision, friends.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or medium mixing bowl for hand mixer) cream together butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl and mixer attachment (paddle for stand mixer!) to ensure everything's combined.
- While butter and sugar are going, combine your flour, salt, and baking powder. I do this in the same bowl as the sugar because I am lazy and hate dishes, but also to make sure I get the last bits of lemon zest.
- With mixer on low add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula after the last egg. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add ricotta and mix until just combined. Make sure to scrape the bowl/attachment again!
- Add the flour mixture and resume mixing on low. Mix until a few streaks of flour remain, then finish mixing by hand.
- Scrape batter into prepped loaf pan. Make sure to really coax that batter into the corners! Use an offset spatula to level the top of the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes. The center will be set and a toothpick should come out with a few (very few!) crumbs or clean. You might need to bake more, but proceed with caution! Check every 2-3 minutes.
- When done, let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Then remove and let finish cooling on the rack. Glaze the cake while still warm.
for the glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and salt. This breaks up any clumps in the sugar and avoids sifting. Win win!
- Add lemon juice and vanilla and whisk well. Taste to see what you think! Add a bit more lemon juice if you'd like, about 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Here's the choose-your-own-adventure part of the recipe! -If you want a picture-ready cake, pour the glaze over top and sides as best you can. Let the cake cool completely before serving.-If you want glaze allllll over that cake place the loaf on top of a piece of parchment before pouring the glaze. Once the cake is covered, lift the parchment and place cake back into the baking pan. Let cool/set in the pan before serving. This presses the glaze into the sides and bottom of the cake. This is my preference, just not as pretty.
- Can be stored at room temp if covered tightly with plastic wrap. Enjoy within 3-4 days! If it lasts that long. 😏
