Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake
It’s gluten free, its delicious..
It’s Wednesday and Easter is just 4 days away! Yippie! For this holiday, being that it’s in the spring, food starts getting lighter and drinks start getting cooler. It’s the only way to roll during this season.
(I got my drank and my two step)
Ok this cake for a second. When I saw this dazzler over on CakeletsandDoilies and again on HoneyandFigsKitchen it was official. I had to make this cake and I had to make it now. 
Instead of it being on the dryer end of cake it fell on the more moist end but still held together well. It’s flour-less so almond meal is what’s holding it together. But I personally love this type of texture. It’s nothing like a traditional cake that hasn’t cooked all the way through. Nothing like that at all. With each bite you taste literally every flavor, it’s unreal. And it’s super moist if I haven’t already told ya.
I’m making this again for Easter because I have a lemon loving familia and I know this will please the crowd if ya know what I mean. (lol) It’s a pretty big cake, serves 10! I’m sure you can squeeze 12 out of it if you just went easy on the slices but no one is going to want less of this, believe that (or beleib that if you are a JB fan). By the way not to go off subject anyone catch the JB roast? I was laughing so hard I think I may have peed ma pants like I use to when I was pregs! Martha Stewart was on point with her comedic skills. The woman does it all. Even time in the clink. Go Martha. 
I post both vegan and vegetarian meals on here just to be clear though for the future. Not everyone is plant based or vegan and I respect other peoples eating choices. I like giving people options so my blog isn’t solely just for one specific type of person. I want anyone who comes on here and find whatever works for them. And if I happen to help them put more greens on their plate, Great! But I don’t judge. I don’t gets down like that.
It’s really a breeze to make and has your name and Easter written all over it. I say do it and do it today! haha or before Sunday. The crust is my favorite part. I left it in the oven a little more than what the time called for just so the middle set. The outside browned a little more than I’d have liked it to but it still was off the hook. It’s a great spring/summer time loving cake. 
This cake is light, it’s lemony, fluffy and sweet. Why hit up the bake shops when you can be your own cake boss at home! It’s addicting so don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Recipe adapted from CakeletsandDoilies and HoneyandFigsKitchen
- [b]Vegetarian Version[/b]
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened but more towards melted
- 1 1/3 c organic cane sugar
- 4 eggs, yolk and white divided
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- zest from 2 lemons
- 2 1/2 c almond meal
- 10 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 c shaved almonds to top
- powdered coconut sugar or regular powdered sugar to top (optional)
- [b]Vegetarian Prep[/b]
- Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray an 8″ round springform pan with non stick cooking spray then line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Separate the egg yolks from the eggwhites.
- Place a separate glass bowl with beaters in the freezer to chill while you prep the cake.
- Using a hand mixer beat together butter, half of sugar, vanilla powder and lemon zest unit pale and creamy. About 5 minutes.
- Beat in egg yolks one at a time.
- Mix in almond meal until well combined.
- Remove glass bowl and beaters from the freezer and place eggwhites with the remainder of the sugar in that. Mix on medium speed until it become fluffy and stiff. About 5 minutes give or take. Fold eggwhites into cake followed by the ricotta cheese.
- Pour into prepared pan and top with shaved almonds. Bake for 45-50 minutes, again keeping an eye on it to make sure the edges don’t burn. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely before serving. Best served the next day after the cake has sat overnight and all the flavors absorb. Enjoy!
XoXo JenniferRose
This cake was a complete fail for me also- I followed the recipe to the letter and it didn’t even resemble cake at the end- there is no baking powder or baking soda in it. Waste of ingredients. I will try it again tho, putting in flour and also baking powder and using a syrup on the top instead of almonds.
Hi Trudy, sorry this was a no go for you. Which version did you make, the vegan or vegetarian? In the blog post I write it’s not a traditional cake nor will it have the same consistency as a cake because it’s flourless, made with almond meal. It’s super moist so I’m not sure what happened for you exactly. Also you have to let it cool completely before cutting into it. Setting it overnight in the fridge is suggested. There is no baking powder or soda because this recipe does not require those ingredients as they’re not needed.
Love the pretty almonds on top – what a gorgeous blog you have!
Thank you so much Lynn! Xo
This cake was a fail for me. The batter tasted great but the cake did not come out like i expected nor did it resemble the one in the picture above. A huge dissapointment given the fact that raw cashews and almond meal is so expensive. The edges and bottom of my cake caramelized so much it was difficult to cut into it. i dont know what went wrong, since i followed the recipe exactly. I used earth balance as the butter and 1 cup cashew ricotta. I did notice the butter and sugar never got creamy when i beat it in mixer and it wasnt because i didnt beat it long enough, i think the butter didnt need to be melted, just softened. Im soooo frustrateddd!! Do you have any tips? I want to remake it with the rest of the leftover ingredients.
Hey Maria sorry this cake was a no go for you. Let’s see if I can help. The butter does need to be softened meaning it should be room temperature. It shouldn’t be cold and it will cream together with sugar. If you need to, you can melt the butter slightly to get it going. There was a mistake in the recipe with the measurements for the cashew ricotta that has been fixed. Keep me posted on how it turns out for you the next time you make it but you shouldn’t have a problem with it now.
I forgot to add, can u pls provide the amount of cashew ricotta in cups? I dont have a scale in the kitchen, i know 1 cup=8 oz but that is only for dry ingredients. Not sure if that translates the same for the cheese. thanks
I am not sure if there is a mitake on the cashew ricotta recipe or not but this did not work for me. I soaked 2 cups of raw cashews for 4 hrs, almost 5 by mistake. I put everything in the food processor and followed recipe exactly but it never looked like ricotta cheese. Way too watery and not much flavor. I saved it by straining it through a fine mesh strainer and adding salt. I think 2 cups water is wayyy too much. All other recipes have way less for cashew ricotta. Any suggestions?
Oh my goodness yes there is a mistake. It’s suppose to be 1 1/2 c cashews to 1/2 cup of water. and 8 ounces means 1 cup for wet ingredients as well. Mistake fixed!