Easy Ricotta Raspberry Cake topped with a bright lemon curd glaze. This cake is incredibly moist, tender, and buttery — a texture you won’t get from yogurt or sour cream. Serve it to guests, enjoy with morning coffee, or satisfy a sweet craving.
Raspberry Cake
If you love raspberry desserts, you’ll adore this ricotta raspberry cake. It’s soft, smooth, and rich with a glossy golden top. Best of all, it comes together quickly — under 10 minutes of prep — and requires no electric mixer. Two bowls are all you need: one for dry ingredients and one for wet. Perfect when you need a fast, impressive dessert.
The slices are pleasantly dense yet melt-in-your-mouth tender. You can easily swap raspberries for strawberries, blueberries, or rhubarb if you prefer. To finish, a tart-and-sweet lemon curd glaze adds a bright contrast. This glaze has fewer eggs than a traditional curd, giving it the ideal drizzleable consistency. The cake is delicious with or without the glaze.
How to Make Raspberry Cake
This recipe uses:
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Ricotta cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Melted butter
- Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Milk (for the glaze)
Basic steps
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla, and ricotta until smooth.
- In a larger bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth, then mix in the melted butter.
- Gently fold in the raspberries, pour the batter into the pan, and scatter a few extra berries on top.
- Bake 40–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Lemon curd glaze
- Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, egg, melted butter, and milk in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles around the edges and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- When you can draw a clean line through the coating on the spoon, the glaze is ready. It will thicken more as it cools. Use immediately to drizzle over slices.
Tips for Success
- Raspberries: Frozen raspberries are recommended because they hold their shape better during baking. Fresh raspberries work but tend to break down and create more moisture.
- Parchment: You can use nonstick spray, but lining the pan with lightly oiled parchment makes cleanup easier and helps release the cake intact.
- Baking time: Ovens vary—expect 40–60 minutes. Test with a toothpick or butter knife; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Sugar level: Reduce the sugar if you prefer a less sweet, more savory-style cake.
- Glaze: The lemon curd glaze should coat the back of a spoon and show a clear line when you drag your finger through it. Use it while warm for best drizzle texture.
- Cooling: Let the cake cool 40–60 minutes before slicing. It’s very tender, and cutting too soon will create crumbs.
- Storage: Leftovers keep well at room temperature for about 3–4 days.
Ricotta Raspberry Cake Topped with Lemon Curd
April Boller Wright
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- nonstick oil spray
- 1 1/4 cup sugar plus additional 1 tablespoon for topping
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter
- 1 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
- Lemon Curd Glaze
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ cake pan with parchment and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
- Whisk eggs, vanilla, and ricotta in a medium bowl until smooth. In a larger bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in melted butter and fold in 1 cup raspberries. Pour into the prepared pan and scatter remaining 1/4 cup raspberries on top.
- Bake 40–60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool before slicing.
For the Lemon Curd Glaze
- Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, sugar, melted butter, and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens but is still pourable. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Use immediately to drizzle over the cake.
Notes
Tips to Make This Ricotta Raspberry Cake
- Frozen raspberries: Best for structure and appearance; fresh will break down more during baking.
- Parchment paper: Using lightly oiled parchment helps release the cake cleanly and speeds cleanup.
- Baking: Bake 40–60 minutes depending on oven. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cooling: Allow the cake to cool 40–60 minutes before slicing to minimize crumbs.
- Leftovers: Store at room temperature for 3–4 days.
If this raspberry ricotta cake looks good, save it to your Pinterest board or share with friends. Enjoy!