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 made this today added frozen(berries thawed) and drizzled chocolate melted with Nutella. I did sub trivia for the sugar.
Hi Julie, thanks so much, sounds delicious. When you substitute with trivia is it a one for one substitution? Thanks
Great basic recipe! I cut the sugar to 130 grams, and used a bit over a half cup of regular sized chocolate chips. I baked it in a 9″ round pan, at 350, for 27 minutes, but I’m at high altitude. The cake turned out so well – not too sweet, pleasantly moist and dense.
Hi Sarah, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it.
I made this cake today. Not sure what I did wrong but it seems quite dense, not at all like the one in your photo. Any suggestions? Baked for 40 minutes. Thanks
Hi Maria, actually the cake is on the denser side, Italian cakes tend to be denser.
Mine too! Way too dense!!
Amazing cake and easy to make.
Hi Kate, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
Loved this recipe but came out dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Sue, it was probably baked too long. 🙂
It is, indeed, a cake everyone loves. Thanks for this wonderful recipe! Easy and delicious!
Easy to make but quite dry. More like a bread
I don’t have a regular bunt pan, just a spring bottom I can switch out from the pan I use for my cheesecakes. Has a spring bunt bottom, would this work?
Hi Angela, yes that would work, I have one of those also. Let me know how it goes.
It is easy to make and a delicious cake. I’ve made it twice.
Thank you.
This was delicious and I made it exactly to your instructions. Next time I think I might add almond extract for a bit more taste. What do you think?
I’m thinking of making this using a cupcake pan that has 12 cupcake sized bunt shapes. Do you think this batter will do well in the smaller forms?
Hi Pamela, yes that should be fine, just be sure to bake them a little bit less, start to check at 18 minutes. Let me know how it goes.
This looks so lovely, I can’t wait to try! I’m having trouble finding chocolate chips at the moment, do you think it will work as well with raisins instead? Thank you!
Hi Sabrina, yes that should work, be sure to place the raisin in boiling water for about 5 minutes to plump them up, then towel dry them, toss them with a teaspoon or two of flour before adding to the batter, this will keep them from sinking to the bottom. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know.
I had to buy the industrial size ricotta for stuffed manicotti the other day. In my quest to use up the tub, I came across your recipe. I doubled it and did chocolate chips and blueberries. Totally delicious and easy to throw together and then divide the batter and add the mix ins! I used a 9” springform and standard bread loaf. The loaf pan took a bit longer to bake. Totally delicious! Thanks!
Hi Heather, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
Can this be made in a 9×5” loaf pan? Thanks
Hi Nancy, Im not sure if that is a good idea because loaf pans are deep and don’t give the space that a cake pan does, if you want you can try it, although the baking time might take a bit longer. Let me know how it goes.
This is a great recipe!!! Easy to make and delicious! Definitely will make this again!
Thanks Michele, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.