Ingredients for Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and Raspberry Sauce Recipe

Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Cake Batter

• Sugar – Sweetens the cake while also contributing to its moist texture.
• Lemon Zest – Adds a bright citrus aroma and enhances the lemony flavor.
• Whole Milk Ricotta – The key to this cake’s rich, moist, and slightly dense texture.
• Olive Oil – Keeps the cake soft and moist while adding a subtle depth of flavor.
• Fresh Lemon Juice – Boosts the citrusy brightness and balances the sweetness.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Enhances overall flavor and adds warmth.
• Lemon Extract – Strengthens the lemon flavor for a more pronounced citrus taste.
• Eggs – Provide structure and help bind the ingredients together.
• All-Purpose Flour – Gives the cake its structure while keeping it tender.
• Baking Soda – Helps the cake rise and keeps it light.
• Salt – Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.
• Fresh Raspberries – Juicy and slightly tart, they complement the lemon beautifully.
• Flour (for coating raspberries) – Helps prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Lemony Raspberry Sauce

• Fresh Raspberries – The base of the sauce, providing a natural sweetness and tartness.
• Water – Helps thin the sauce for a pourable consistency.
• Superfine Sugar (or Granulated Sugar) – Sweetens the sauce while dissolving smoothly.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Adds a warm, rounded sweetness.
• Fresh Lemon Juice – Enhances the brightness of the raspberries and balances the flavors.

Whipped Cream Frosting

• Softened Cream Cheese – Adds a creamy texture and slight tang to stabilize the whipped cream.
• Sugar – Sweetens the frosting while maintaining a smooth texture.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Adds depth and warmth to the frosting.
• Heavy Cream – Whips up light and airy for a fluffy, luscious frosting.

Equipment

To make these easy coconut almond macaroons, you’ll need a few basic items:

• Deep 9×9-inch Baking Pan – Provides enough depth to accommodate the moist ricotta cake while allowing even baking.
• Stand Mixer or Electric Hand-Held Mixer (Recommended) – Makes it easier to mix ingredients smoothly and efficiently, especially when whipping cream.
• Parchment Paper – Helps prevent sticking and makes for easy removal of the cake from the pan.
• Large Mixing Bowl – For combining wet ingredients and whipping the frosting.
• Medium Mixing Bowls – Used for mixing dry ingredients and preparing the whipped cream frosting.
• Saucepan – Essential for simmering the raspberry lemon sauce to blend and thicken the flavors.

Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and Raspberry Sauce Recipe

This incredibly moist Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cake, topped with whipped cream frosting and a raspberry lemon sauce is delicious and easy to make. The sauce is bursting with flavor and is so incredibly delicious on top of the moist ricotta-based cake. Each component can be made ahead in little time and can be easily put together right before serving.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 9

Equipment

• 1 Deep 9×9 baking cake pan
• Stand mixer or Electric hand-held mixer recommended
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Ingredients

Ingredients

  

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake Batter

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
• 1 tsp flour to coat the raspberries

Lemony Raspberry Sauce

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar, Regular sugar is fine as well just make sure it’s fully integrated
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

 

Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cake Batter

• Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature: Fill two containers with hot water from your tap. Submerge the whole milk ricotta in its original container (still sealed) in one container and the three eggs in the other. Leave them in the hot water for about 10-15 minutes.
• Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it with butter for easy removal of the cake.
• Mix Sugar and Lemon Zest: In a stand mixer (or large bowl and using an electric mixer or whisk), mix 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon zest for two minutes to help release the lemon aroma into the sugar.
• Mix Wet Ingredients: Combine 15 ounces whole milk ricotta, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp lemon extract. Mix until fully combined. Add 3 room temperature eggs, one at a time, and whisk together until smooth and fully combined into the batter. Do not overmix.
• Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt for about a minute until evenly mixed.
• Mix Together: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients, whisking until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Once you can no longer see specs of flour or big lumps in the batter, that’s when you know you’re done mixing.
• Add Raspberries: In a separate bowl, coat 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries with 1 tsp flour . Mix carefully to fully coat the raspberries while keeping them whole. Gently fold them into the cake batter using a spatula.
• Bake: Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it. Oven temperatures can vary, so it's good to check on the cake a bit before the 40-minute mark, too.

  When ready, the cake will have browned edges and will have a light yellow, lightly golden color on top. Once the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, don't wait for the cake to turn fully golden brown – it may be ready before then. You may store the cake in the fridge until ready to assemble with the whipped cream frosting and raspberry lemon sauce.

Raspberry Lemon Sauce

• Combine: To a saucepan over medium heat add, 1 cup fresh raspberries, 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and stir to combine.
• Simmer: Once the mixture comes to a boil, allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when the raspberries have mostly turned into juice.
• Add remaining ingredients: Stir in 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Adding the lemon juice after we remove the sauce from the heat, keeps it from getting bitter.
• Strain: To remove the seeds from the raspberry sauce pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a a separate bowl or container.
• Chill: After removing the seeds place the sauce in the fridge and chill for at least an hour or until it cools to at least room temperature.

Whipped Cream Frosting

• Combine: Add 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar to a separate bowl and stir together until well combined.
• Whip: Add 2 cups heavy cream and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract to the cream cheese and sugar mixture, whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to frost the cake.
• Cool, frost & serve: Once the cake has cooled completely, generously spread the whipped cream frosting over the top. Pour some of the raspberry sauce on top along with a 1/2 cup fresh Raspberries (optional) as shown in the images below. Leave some sauce in the bowl too, because people who will want to have extra can always pour more on top.

Video

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Notes

This Raspberry Lemon Cake Recipe, the whipped cream frosting, and Raspberry sauce are all designed to complement each other. I highly recommend having them all together. If you’d like to have the raspberry lemon cake without the sauce, you may need to add more lemon extract to the cake, as it will need an extra boost of flavor that currently lives in the sauce.

The texture of this cake changes after a day in the fridge. It will be even more moist and flavorful the next day, so this is a great cake to make ahead!
While there are three components to this recipe, they’re all easy and quick to create. I love being able to make them all ahead of time so there’s less pressure on the day the cake is being served. All components can be cooled in the fridge until ready to assemble and serve.

Enjoy!