Italian Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
This deliciously moist Homemade Italian Cake is made with ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. The perfect Breakfast, Snack or even Dessert Cake Recipe. A Cake everyone will love.
After living in Italy for over 25 years, I like to think I know this country , the people and the food quite well. Especially the food!
Naturally Pasta and Pizza are my favourites, but needless to say, I also love a good Dessert! I like the fact that Italians love to eat cake for breakfast and no excuse is needed.
And of course Ricotta Cake is one of the most popular Italian Cakes to make. This moist tasty cake, just like most Italian Cakes, needs no icing or glaze. Just a simple dusting of powdered sugar is all it needs.
Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs – large eggs room temperature
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Vanilla – vanilla extract
- Ricotta – if the ricotta cheese is very liquidy place in a sieve to drain for 1-2 hours
- Flour – all purpose or cake/pastry flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Chocolate chips – unsweetened chocolate chips – I used mini chocolate chips
Why Use Room Temperature Ingredients?
Room temperature ingredients help to produce light tender baked good, in this case a cake. The ingredients will come together smoother with a lump free batter. Room temperature egg whites beat up fluffier. Be sure to remove the ingredients from the fridge 45-60 minutes before baking.
How to make a Ricotta Cake
In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar for about 3 minutes, then add the vanilla and ricotta and combine. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and combine, the batter will be very thick.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon into the prepared cake pan and bake until done, check with a toothpick, if it comes out dry or with a few crumb attached then the cake is done.
Let cool completely then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
What is Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta is usually referred to as a cheese. Although it is actually a dairy product that is made through a process of reusing whey left over from the processing of other cheese.
The name Ricotta is derived from Latin, and refers to its processing – re-coctus, which means, cooked twice.
Therefore since it is not produced directly from the curd, but from one of its by-products, ricotta cannot be considered a real cheese.
Is it necessary to drain the Ricotta?
I didn’t drain the ricotta for this recipe, but my ricotta was quite thick. If you find that there is a lot of liquid, then drain the ricotta in a sieve for about 10 minutes before adding to the creamed mixture.
How To Make Cake Flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
How to store a Ricotta Cake
The cake can be stored up to two days at room temperature. Make sure it is well wrapped or stored in an airtight container. Keeping it any longer and it should be refrigerated.
Can a Ricotta Cake be frozen?
Yes the cake can be frozen, be sure to wrap well in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to three months.
Be sure to remove the cake from the freezer bag or container before thawing, although you can leave it wrapped in plastic and thaw in the fridge over night.
How to prevent chocolate chips from sinking in a cake
To prevent the chocolate chips from sinking in your cake is very easy, just toss the chips with a little flour. I use one teaspoon of flour for every half cup of chips.
This little trick works with other additions from sinking too, such as nuts, dried fruits, and fresh berries. Just toss with a little flour before folding them into your cake, cupcake, or even muffin batter before baking.
More Delicious Italian Cakes
Italy, as everyone knows is going through a bit of a hard time, but as my husband says as he was eating a piece of this Ricotta Cake, “well at least we still have the food”. Enjoy!
Italian Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup ricotta room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or cake/pastry flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (unsweetened chips, milk chips or a mixture of both)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
EXTRAS
- 3-4 tablespoons icing/powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° (180°), grease and flour a 9 inch (22cm) cake pan or 9 1/2 inch (24cm) bundt pan.
- In a large bowl beat the eggs, yolk and sugar until creamy and light about 3-5 minutes. Then add the vanilla and ricotta beat to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture and mix just until combined (batter will be thick), fold in the mini chocolate chips*.
- Spoon into the prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, test with a toothpick for doneness. Let cool completely, then remove from the pan and dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
*Toss the chocolate chips with one teaspoon of flour before adding, this prevents the chips from sinking in the batter while baking.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from May 16, 2014.
I totally forgot to mix the chocolate chips with 1 tsp of flour prior to spooning them in. Will this mess up the whole cake?
Gina
Hi Gina, it should be ok, you may find more chips on the bottom of the cake. Let me know how it goes.
Will the recipe work with part skim ricotta?
Hi Kathy, yes that should work. Let me know how it goes.
Hi. Cake is still in the oven. However your recipe calls for 2 cups flour. 250g. S you know 2 cups equals 500g. I therefore had to add about 1cuo of milk. Please advise the correct measurement.
Hi Charmaine, the reason that you had to add an extra cup is because one cup of flour is 125 grams not 250. I have measured this a hundred times. Trust me.
How high should the cake rise if using a bundt pan ? Mine didn’t rise that high. I baked it the time allowed and it seems to be too moist as in dense.Is that the way it should be ?
Hi Theresa, well it’s not a really high cake, and yes Italian cakes are denser than American cakes. Although it shouldn’t be soggy. I used a 9 1/2 inch bundt pan and it did rise quite well, it was by no means flat.
I was looking for a quick and easy recipe to use the rest of my ricotta cheese left over from lasagna. It turned out perfect to eat with coffee this morning.
Hi Suzanne, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
This was wonderful! Very moist and tasty! Very easy too! My husband loved it!
Hi Kim thanks so much, glad you both enjoyed it.
Can I use frozen berries instead of chocolate chip?
Hi Linda, I have never made with with frozen berries, but I think it should be fine, don’t thaw them though, and toss with about 1 teaspoon of flour.
Delicious cake! Easy to make and came out perfect. Not too sweet too which is great.
Hi Amina, thanks glad you like it.
It was easy to make. It is delicious.
We had the cake for Valentines Day
Hmm good!
Hi Judy, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
The instructions say to use a 9 inch pan or bundt pan…Is that a tube pan that you used?
Hi Janet, yes it is a tube pan. 🙂
Thank you…I have a ring mold pan that is marked 8″ 1/2″ X 3″..I was wondering if that would work. It seems small. I do have a bundt pan and a tube pan. From your pictures it appears that you used a ring mold pan since the hole in the middle is so much larger than on my tube pan. How full should your pan be after the batter is poured into it?
Hi Janet, that pan should work, fill it 2/3 to 3/4 full. My pans really aren’t that big, they just look it in the photo. I hope you like it, let me know how it goes.
Baking now! I’m celiac, so I used Bobs Red Mill GF flour.Also replaced the vanilla with Kahlua.. I’m crazy like that..
Hi Patricia, sounds good, let me know how it comes out with the gluten free flour.
I can’t seem to find mini MILK CHOCOLATE mini chips. Have you guys used semi sweet?
Hi Mike those will work too. Either are fine.
The recepie says 1 teaspoon flour – that cannot be right. Please, write down necessary amount of flour – is it 1 cup or more?
Hi Snijezana, if you read the recipe it states that the 1 teaspoon of flour is to be tossed with the chocolate chips.
I made it to the tee..except maybe a quarter cup more ricotta..it was dry..what did i do wrong? And cooked for 40 mins..should i have let it out while moist?
Hi Lori, if it was dry then yes you baked it too long, you should check at the 30 minute mark with a toothpick if it isn’t ready then continue for another 5 minutes and try again, 35 minutes probably would have been enough.
I WÄ°L DO Ä°T
Hi Serpil, I hope you enjoy it.