Ricotta and lemon cakes

Go beyond the traditional lemon tart and whip up something inspired instead. You do not need a sweet tooth to appreciate this dessert. These quick and easy ricotta and lemon cakes boast some of Sicily’s most beloved flavours. The ricotta makes these treats beautifully soft, and the tang of lemon is complemented perfectly by a light dusting of icing sugar. We love that this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and it is the perfect, tangy treat for those who enjoy a lemony dessert.

Not in the mood for anything sweet? Then you should definitely try this baked ricotta with corn, chilli and peppers recipe.

Print Recipe

Ricotta and lemon cakes

Serves: Makes 8 small cakes or one 20cm cake

Cooking Time: 25 – 30 mins

Ingredients

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g (¾ cup) castor sugar
• zest of 2 lemons, grated
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 300g ricotta
• 130g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
• icing sugar, to serve

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease two 6-hole large muffin pans.

2

Using a food processor, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, egg yolks and ricotta, and beat again on a low speed.

3

Using a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

4

Gently fold in the flour and baking powder and pour into the greased muffin pans.

5

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cakes are firm and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans.

6

When cool, dust with the icing sugar before serving.

If you loved this recipe, then you will definitely enjoy these recipes (take our word for it):

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart (one of your all-time favourite recipes)

Super-easy lemon cheesecake (so quick, so easy, so good!)

Frozen lemon custard with brûléed meringue (cool, creamy and intensely lemony, this frozen custard encased in fluffy meringue is a lovely end to any summer meal)

Lemon cream martini (What time is it? Party time!)

Lemon, rosemary and olive oil layer cake with cream-cheese icing (the unexpected combinations in this very grown-up cake are perfect)