Lemon Blueberry Cake (Ricotta Pound Cake)

Name: Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups (250 g) all purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 cup (8 ounces, 230 g) ricotta cheese, left to stand at room temperature for a few minutes to take the chill off; 1 1/2 cups sugar (300 g); 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon lemon zest; 1 1/2 cups (140 g) blueberries

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It's the beginning of blueberry season over here; let the parade of baked goods begin!

I had a basket of blueberries giving me the eye the other morning, as well as some ricotta cheese in the fridge begging to be used up.

Hmmm. Blueberry muffins, maybe? Blueberry pancakes? Or pound cake?

A lemon blueberry pound cake won the toss this time, a pound cake made even more dense and silky rich with the substitution of ricotta for some of the butter and flour.

This lemon blueberry ricotta pound cake was declared a winner by all who tasted it. Enjoy!

Tips for Making This Cake

Room temperature ingredients: You'll have better success with this cake if the ingredients are at room temperature before baking, specifically the eggs, ricotta, and butter. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
Fresh baking powder: The leavening in this recipe comes from the eggs and the baking powder. Make sure your baking powder is fresh! Baking powder older than 6 months tends to go flat.
Keep your berries from sinking: Toss the blueberries in a little flour before mixing them into the batter. This will help keep them from sinking.
Use fresh or frozen blueberries: No need to defrost frozen blueberries if that is what you are using. Just make sure they are separated before tossing with flour.

How to Store and Freeze This Cake

This cake will keep covered on the counter for 3 to 4 days. It also freezes well: wrap in foil, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months, and thaw on the counter before serving.

More Ways to Love Blueberries and Lemon!

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 65 mins

Total Time 85 mins

Servings 10 to 12 servings

To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

Make sure your baking powder is fresh! Baking powder older than 6 months tends to go flat.

1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (8 3/4 ounces, 250g) ricotta cheese, left to stand at room temperature for a few minutes to take the chill off
1 1/2 cups sugar (300g)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups (285g) blueberries

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C):

Prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan, smearing the inside with butter.
Whisk the dry ingredients:

In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

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Toss blueberries with flour:

Rinse the blueberries and toss them with a little flour to lightly coat them (this will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake).

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Mix wet ingredients and sugar for batter:

Use an electric mixer (you can mix by hand but will get better results if you use an electric mixer) to beat together the butter, ricotta, and sugar, on high speed, for 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

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Elise Bauer

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed for one minute after each addition.

Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Don't worry if the batter looks a little curdled at this point. It isn't curdled; it just looks that way.

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Add dry ingredients, then blueberries:

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the dry ingredients in 3 or 4 additions, until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Stir in the blueberries.

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Elise Bauer
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan:

smoothing out the top with a rubber spatula. Place on a baking sheet on the middle oven rack of the oven. (This will help moderate the temperature at the bottom of the pan.)

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Bake:

Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, or if you press on the center with your fingers and lift up, the cake surface gently bounces back.

After the first 40 minutes of baking you may want to put a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to keep it from browning further.

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Cool:

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Then run a dull knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it is separated from the pan.

Gently remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Let cook completely before slicing.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
336	Calories
15g	Fat
46g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	336
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 9g	43%
Cholesterol 83mg	28%
Sodium 210mg	9%
Total Carbohydrate 46g	17%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 3mg	15%
Calcium 118mg	9%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 89mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.