Italian-Style Lemon Ricotta Cake with Cherries and Peaches

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This Italian lemon ricotta cake is a soft, creamy summer cake made with whole milk ricotta, lemon zest, and fresh peaches and cherries pressed right into the batter. No frosting, no mixer required, and only 20 minutes of prep. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve it for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. 

Lemon Ricotta Cake with Cherries and Peaches (Inspired by Italian Classic) 

Ricotta does something to a cake batter that yogurt and sour cream cannot quite match. It keeps the crumb tender and slightly custardy for days without making the cake heavy or greasy, and it carries lemon beautifully. If you have made my no-bake ricotta cheesecake, you already know how creamy and mild this cheese tastes once it is sweetened. Here it goes straight into the cake batter instead.

The other thing I love about this one is that it's not overly sweet. ¾ cup of sugar for a 9-inch cake means the cherries and peaches truly shine in this recipe, and a dusting of powdered sugar at the end is all the sweetness it needs. However, you can increase the sugar to 1 cup if you like your cakes sweeter. You can also top this Italian lemon ricotta cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Working through a big bag of cherries? Try my cherry layer cake with cherry buttercream or my French cherry clafoutis next.

What is a Classic Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake?

A classic Italian lemon ricotta cake, torta di ricotta e limone, is a soft, moist single-layer cake in which ricotta replaces most of the butter or milk. No frosting, no layers, just a tender crumb, lots of lemon zest, and a dusting of powdered sugar. It is barely sweet by American standards, which is the point, since it gets eaten at breakfast with coffee as often as after dinner. It is a nonna's cake rather than a pastry shop cake, made largely to use up leftover ricotta.

My version with cherries and peaches is in no way authentic, but it is certainly inspired by that tradition. One layer, no frosting, nothing but powdered sugar on top. Plenty of lemon zest. My cherry peach ricotta cake isn't overly sweet, so you can eat a slice with coffee in the morning and not feel like you had dessert for breakfast.

Why You'll Love It

• The ricotta is the star ingredient. No sour cream, no yogurt, no buttermilk. Whole milk ricotta gives you a moist, tender crumb that stays soft on day three.
• It is not overly sweet. Just ¾ cup of sugar for a full 9-inch cake. This ricotta cake tastes like fruit, not frosting.
• No mixer required. A handheld mixer makes it faster, but a whisk and a sturdy arm will get you there.
• One pan, no decorating. I simply dust it with powdered sugar.
• It works for breakfast. Slightly sweet, protein-rich from the ricotta and eggs, and excellent with coffee. 
• Flexible with fruit. Nectarines, apricots, or plums all work if your cherries have come and gone. 

Grab These Ingredients

• Peaches: Use 2 medium ripe yellow peaches. Yellow peaches give you better color and a slightly tangier flavor than white ones. You want them ripe but still firm, since very soft peaches release too much juice into the batter. I leave the skins on if they are thin.
• Cherries: You will need 1 ¼ cups of pitted fresh sweet cherries. Look for dark, firm cherries. I halve the cherries so they sit flat and press into the batter easily.
• Unsalted butter: Room temperature, not melted, so it creams properly with the sugar and gives the cake its light texture.
• Granulated sugar: Only ¾ cup. This is a lightly sweet cake. You can increase it to 1 cup if desired.
• Eggs: Three large eggs at room temperature. Cold eggs will seize the butter and make the batter look curdled.
• Ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta, at room temperature. Part-skim will work, but whole milk gives you that creamy, custardy crumb. If your ricotta looks watery in the tub, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 20 minutes first.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest: Fresh, not bottled. The zest carries most of the flavor, and it is what keeps a mild ricotta cake from tasting flat.
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla, preferably.
• All-purpose flour and baking powder: Aerate the flour with a spoon before measuring, or use a scale. Packed flour is the number one reason a cake like this bakes up dense.
• Heavy cream: Room temperature. It loosens the thick ricotta batter into something spreadable.
• Powdered sugar: For dusting over the cooled cake. Dust it right before serving, since it melts into the cake over time.

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Cake with Cherries and Peaches (Step-by-Step Photos)

This is a recipe overview. Scroll down to find the complete instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

• Prep the fruit: Wash the cherries and peaches. Pit and halve the cherries, slice the peaches, and set both aside.
• Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, bottom and sides.
• Cream the butter and sugar: Beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

• Add the eggs: One at a time, beating well after each.

• Add the ricotta: Mix in the ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth.

• Finish the batter: Fold in the flour, baking powder, and heavy cream. Stir just until smooth and stop.

• Add the fruit: Spread the batter in the pan, then press the cherries and peach slices down into the surface so they sit in the batter, not on it.
• Bake: 50 to 55 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until a toothpick comes out clean.

• Cool and dust: Cool completely in the pan, then move to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar just before slicing.

FAQ (Cake-Related)

1. Can I use part-skim ricotta? You can, but I do not recommend it. Whole milk ricotta has more fat and less water, and that is exactly what makes this cake creamy instead of gummy.
2. Can I make this gluten-free? Yes. A measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend works here. The batter will be slightly looser, so add about 5 minutes to the bake time.
3. Can I bake this in a different pan? I use a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with a removable bottom. I wouldn't use a regular solid-bottom pan because this cake is too tender to invert cleanly. You can also use a 10-inch cast iron skillet, though the skillet version will bake a little faster and give you crisper edges. That is how I bake my peach and blueberry skillet cake. Start checking at 40 minutes.
4. How do I know when it is done? The top will be golden and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center (not into a piece of fruit) should come out clean. Ricotta cakes look wobbly longer than butter cakes do, so trust the toothpick over the jiggle.

FAQ (Fruit-Related)

1. Do I have to peel the peaches? No, and I recommend leaving the skins on. They hold each slice together during baking and add color to the top of the cake.
2. Can I use frozen cherries? Fresh is much better here. Frozen cherries release too much water as they thaw and will make the top of the cake soggy. If frozen is all you have, don't thaw them; add 5 minutes to the baking time.
3. What other fruit works? Nectarines, apricots, plums, and blackberries all work well. Keep the total fruit around the same volume so the batter can still support it.
4. Why did my fruit sink to the bottom? Usually the batter was too thin, or the fruit was too wet. Measure your flour properly (aerate, spoon, level) and pat the fruit dry before pressing it in. Slightly underripe peaches hold their shape better than very soft ones.

More Summer Fruit Cakes

• Stone Fruit Cake with Cherries and Peaches (the Greek yogurt version of this flavor combination)
• Cherry Peach Lattice Pie
• Simple Cherry Cake
• Peach Upside Down Cake
• Raspberry Peach Cake
• Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
• French Cherry Clafoutis
• 15 Peach Desserts So Good, You'll Lick the Pan