This Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake is moist, light, and tender with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. It is creamy, rich, and delicious, with fresh and bright lemon flavors!
The Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe is beyond easy, and no electric mixer is needed. With a few ingredients, it yields a delicate dessert to satisfy a sweet craving or to celebrate a small occasion!
This recipe is inspired by my other cake recipe, Eggless Mawa Cake, on this site.
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Creamy and Rich Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake
While this decadent Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe looks simple, it took me a while to perfect it. After constantly changing the dry and wet ratios, I finalized this recipe for a perfectly moist and fluffy cake.
The cake is creamy and rich but still has light and soft crumbs. The key ingredient is ricotta cheese, which should be full-fat for the best results.
Lemon Ricotta Cake is decadent but has a light, fresh lemon flavor, which makes it vibrant and bright. It is an eggless cake, and I used no egg replacers.
The cake is delicious as is, but it can be frosted with your favorite frosting. I like to serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream and berries.
Why You Will Love This Cake
- Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake is dense and rich but light, creamy, soft, and moist.
- It is bursting with lemon flavor and tastes delicious.
- The recipe is easy to make with only essential baking ingredients.
- It is a quick dessert for any occasion or simply to satisfy cravings.
- The cake is eggless but does not require any egg replacers.
Ingredients and Notes
- Flour: I recommend using unbleached, all-purpose flour for this Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake. However, you can use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour for a delicate cake texture. Ensure that you measure the flour correctly; if you have a kitchen scale, use it for the best results.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both work as leavening agents and are essential for this recipe.
- Salt: It gives a nice contrast to the sweetness of the cake.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and melt it using a stovetop or microwave.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar provides sweetness and structure to the cake.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream, which should be at room temperature. If you do not have sour cream, use plain yogurt.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Ricotta Cheese: Ricotta provides creaminess and a melt-in-the-mouth texture to the cake. Use whole or full-fat ricotta cheese and bring it to room temperature before using it in the recipe.
- Lemon Juice and Zest: Lemon juice and zest provide a fresh and citrusy flavor to the cake.
- Milk: You can use whole or 2% milk for this recipe.
- Sliced Almonds: I like to top the cake with sliced almonds for a slight crunch, but this step is optional.
- Icing Sugar: Sprinkling icing sugar on the top makes the cake presentable without any frosting.
How To Make Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick oil spray and line it with parchment paper.
- Lightly grease the parchment paper as well.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Set aside.
- Combine the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Add ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and zest.
- Mix well.
- Add flour mixture and milk alternatively to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Do not overmix.
- The batter will be slightly thick and fluffy.
- Pour it into the prepared pan, spread it evenly, and smooth the top.
- If you prefer, top the batter with sliced almonds.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- The baking time may vary, more or less, depending on the oven, so keep an eye on the oven while baking.
- Remove the cake from the oven, place the pan on the cooling rack, and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove it from the pan and sprinkle icing sugar on top, if you prefer, before slicing and serving.
Serving Suggestions
The cake tastes delicious as is. However, for a decadent dessert, serve the cake slice topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries.
A slice of lemon ricotta cake can also be served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing Suggestions
Store this Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake, covered tightly, at room temperature for two days.
Leftover cake can be refrigerated for a week.
Baking Tips For Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake
Measurements: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for the best results.
Flour: Instead of all-purpose flour, use cake flour for a more delicate and tender cake texture.
Ricotta Cheese: For the creamy and rich cake, use ricotta cheese made with whole or full-fat milk. Bring the ricotta to room temperature before using it in the recipe.
Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream and bring it to room temperature. If you do not have sour cream, use plain yogurt.
Batter: Do not overmix the batter to get a soft and tender cake. Overmixing the batter will make the cake dense and chewy.
Baking Pan: The proper baking pan size for this cake is essential. Use a 9-inch round cake pan or a springform pan. Using a small pan will result in a dense and soggy cake.
Baking: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cake while baking. Overbaking may dry the cake, and underbaking may cause it to sink.
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Recipe Card
Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoon (98g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- 2 tablespoon Sliced almonds for topping (optional)
- Icing sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick oil spray and line it with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper as well.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Add ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and zest. Mix well.
- Add flour mixture and milk alternatively to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- The batter will be slightly thick and fluffy. Pour it into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and smooth the top. If you prefer, top the batter with sliced almonds.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. The baking time may vary, more or less, depending on the oven, so keep an eye on the oven while baking.
- Remove the cake from the oven, place the pan on the cooling rack, and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove it from the pan and sprinkle icing sugar on top, if you prefer, before slicing and serving.
Serving Suggestions
- The cake tastes delicious as it is. However, you can serve the cake slice topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries for a decadent dessert.
- A slice of lemon ricotta cake can also be served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing Suggestions
- Store this Eggless Lemon Ricotta Cake, covered tightly, at room temperature for two days.
- Leftover cake can be refrigerated for a week.
Notes
- Measurements: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for the best results.
- Flour: Instead of all-purpose flour, use cake flour for a more delicate and tender cake texture.
- Ricotta Cheese: For the creamy and rich cake, use ricotta cheese made with whole or full-fat milk. Bring the ricotta to room temperature before using it in the recipe.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream and bring it to room temperature. If you do not have sour cream, use plain yogurt.
- Batter: Do not overmix the batter to get a soft and tender cake. Overmixing the batter will make the cake dense and chewy.
- Baking Pan: The proper baking pan size for this cake is essential. Use a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan. Using a small pan will result in a dense and soggy cake.
- Baking: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cake while baking. Overbaking may dry the cake, and underbaking may cause it to sink.
Suman Jain says
Hi, Can I use Orange juice and Orange zest instead lemon. Thanks
Jigna says
Hi Suman! Yes, orange juice and zest can be used instead of lemon. However, I suggest replacing some of the milk with orange juice, as the orange flavor is slightly milder than lemon’s.