I can’t believe I’m going to say this but…
This Ricotta Cake actually doesn’t need frosting. And you know how much I love frosting. It has a crunchy sugar and almond topping that goes so perfectly with the insanely soft and moist texture of the cake. Anything almond flavored always makes me very happy and the juicy, sweet bites of blueberry make this cake pretty much perfect.
Also, because it’s not frosted I’m pretty confident in calling this a snack cake… a brunch cake… or even a breakfast cake… that’s how that works isn’t it???
This is a super easy cake recipe to make. No mixer required. Two bowls and a couple of spoons and you are minutes away from throwing this into the oven.
The ricotta gives the cake the most incredibly moist and tender texture, the almond flavor is just heavenly and the juicy bites of blueberry make it just about perfect.
A word about adding frozen blueberries to the cake batter…
Do you have to thaw the blueberries before adding them to the cake batter? Nope. I don’t. I mix the frozen berries straight into the batter.
You can also use fresh blueberries if you have them, but frozen work just fine and they are always in season. You can also sub in other berries depending on what you have or even chocolate chips.
Anything Special You Need to Know?
*Do you have to strain the ricotta before adding it to the batter? Nope. I don’t anyway. The ricotta I buy is always nice and thick so it’s never been an issue for me. 🙂
*If you’re super ambitious about this cake project you can even make your own ricotta cheese. Read this to learn how. I probably will not be doing this because it might delay my cake eating, but if you do it I want to hear about it!
*Can you make a ricotta cake with almond flour only? The honest answer is: probably but I haven’t tried it with this recipe. I add a little almond flour into this cake because I do that a lot with baked goods and also because if I can find any way to get in extra almond flavor I will do it.
*The cane sugar and flaked almonds on top are optional, but they give a nice crust and texture to the top of the cake. You can also leave these off and make a little almond drizzle or brown butter glaze for the top. Or mix a little cinnamon in and make a cinnamon sugar topping.
Recipe-ish…
Italian Ricotta Almond Cake with Blueberries
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp Almond Flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter melted (not hot)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 2 Tbsp Flaked almonds
- 1 Tbsp Cane sugar
Instructions
- Combine the flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the ricotta, eggs, butter, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Spread the batter evenly into a greased and/or lined 9” round pan.
- Sprinkle the batter with the flaked almonds and the cane sugar.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
Let me know what you think!
If you like this Italian Ricotta Almond Cake with Blueberries Recipe then go check out my Matcha Crepe Cake Recipe. It’s another one that you can make for dessert or for breakfast. It’s a stretch, but I’d do it.
