This is a moist, simply delicious orange ricotta cake baked in a tart pan, with an almond-flour cake batter and a creamy orange-infused ricotta filling.

A baked. round ricotta cake with dollops of creamy ricotta cheese and powdered sugar dusted over the top.

When you bake this orange-infused ricotta cake, the moist, almond cake batter puffs up around the ricotta filling, creating sweet, creamy pockets in each slice.

The story of this recipe starts with my growing up in an Italian-American family. I learned early on that every holiday and special occasion came with its own special food, to be enjoyed on that day and probably not to be tasted again until its time reappeared on the calendar.

A photo of a cake with a slice being served, with ricotta baked into the top, with orange zest and powdered sugar on top.

Many of those foods happen to be sweet things (or maybe they’re what I loved best). There were St. Joseph’s day zeppole (fried dough filled with creamy custard), Christmas panettone (sweet yeast bread), torrone (nougat with nuts).

My very favorite were the sfogilatelle, flaky ricotta-filled pastries that sat on the table in a brown cardboard pastry box every Sunday after dinner.

A picture of a cake with ricotta baked into the top, with orange zest and powdered sugar on top.

I should also mention the traditional Neapolitan Easter pie, filled with an orange-scented rice pudding. That pie could take days to make, chill and set and from what I recall seemed to weigh as much as the 20-pound sack of Russet potatoes my mother kept in the pantry. 

This recipe is inspired in part by each one of those sweets, only lightened up and simplified. It reminds me especially of the lightly sweet, orange-scented ricotta filling in a sfogliatelle. 

4.75 from 76 ratings

Italian Orange Ricotta Cake

Karen Tedesco
A moist, simply delicious orange ricotta cake baked in a tart pan, with an almond-flour cake batter and a creamy orange-infused ricotta filling.
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Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 2 teaspoons melted butter for the baking pan
  • 1 cup (245 g) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) freshly grated orange zest, from 1 large orange, or 2 small
  • ½ cup (50 g) almond flour
  • 1 cup (140) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (120 g) 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • Powdered sugar, for serving

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top, bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with the melted butter.
  2. Whisk together the ricotta, honey and orange zest in a small bowl until combined.
  3. Combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
  4. In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one; lower the mixer speed and stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
  5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread so that it meets the edges of the pan. Evenly top the outside edge and the middle of cake with tablespoon-sized scoops of the ricotta.
  6. Bake 30-35 minutes. The cake should be golden and the batter around the ricotta lightly firm to the touch. Cool 10 minutes, then release the pan sides and cool the cake completely.
  7. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

  • The cake will keep well refrigerated up to 2 days.

Nutrition per serving

Serving: -5serving Calories: 463kcal Carbohydrates: 62g Protein: 9g Fat: 21g Sodium: 247mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 46g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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