Easy Blueberry Ricotta Cake with lemon glaze is perfect served as a coffee or breakfast cake. Ricotta cake is a delicately sweet and elegant dessert with a clafoutis-like texture.

We love blueberry desserts like our popular Blueberry Lemon Cake, epic Blueberry Pie, or loaded Blueberry Crumble. This blueberry ricotta cake does not disappoint.

Blueberry Ricotta Cake with lemon glaze sliced on a cake platter

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Blueberry Ricotta Cake Recipe:

I was tempted to call this a cheesecake but the texture isn’t what you would expect from cheesecake. Ricotta cake is a cross between a clafoutis, custard, soufflé and cheesecake. You’ll have to try it for yourself, then report back and share your thoughts. This blueberry lemon ricotta cake is a delight and I particularly good served slightly warm, dripping with lemon glaze.

slice of blueberry ricotta cake on a blue plate with fork

What is Ricotta Cheese?

Ricotta cheese is made from whey leftover from making other cheeses. It is inexpensive and available in the refrigerated cheese aisle of most grocery stores, or you can make homemade ricotta. It is smooth and slightly grainy in texture. Ricotta is a versatile cheese and works well in sweet desserts like this ricotta cake and in savory dishes like Classic Lasagna.

Can I substitute with Cottage Cheese?

The flavor profile of cottage cheese is similar to ricotta but the texture is different as even “small curd” cottage cheese has significantly larger curd than ricotta cheese. If you must substitute, drain and mash the cottage cheese first.

Ricotta cheese, sour cream, blueberries, eggs, sugar and cake ingredients

How to Make Ricotta Cake:

This cake is simple to assemble and your oven does the rest.

  1. Pre-heat the oven, grease and line a 9″ springform pan and whisk together dry ingredients.
  2. Beat eggs and sugar until frothy
  3. Blend in melted butter, ricotta, sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest.
  4. Add flour mixture, mixing until combined then transfer to pan, top with blueberries and bake

step by step tutorial how to make ricotta cake

It will poof up slightly in the center like a typical cheesecake and relax down slightly as it cools. Once it’s out of the oven, let it rest in the pan for 20 minutes then transfer to a cake platter and serve warm with lemon glaze.

ricotta cake before and after baking

How to Make Lemon Glaze:

It really doesn’t get any easier and all you need for a good lemon glaze are 2 ingredients: (1) FRESH lemon juice and (2) powdered sugar. Stir to combine and add more lemon juice for a thinner glaze or add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze. Lemon glaze adds a fresh pop of lemon flavor to many fruit-based cakes or these Blueberry Muffins.

lemon glazed stirred in a bowl

Storing Ricotta Cake:

You can keep the cake at room temperature for a day after it is made, but I would cover and refrigerate overnight for longer storage.

More Breakfast Cake Recipes:

These breakfast cakes all have 2 things in common: easy and delicious! They come together fast and are wonderful for unexpected (or expected) company.

Ricotta Breakfast Cake sliced on a blue cake platter

This Ricotta Cake was inspired by the Blueberry Breakfast Cake from King Arthur Flour. 

Blueberry Ricotta Cake

4.98 from 171 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Ricotta cake slice being removed from cake
This easy Blueberry Ricotta Cake is perfect served as a breakfast or coffee cake. Ricotta cake is a delicately sweet and elegant dessert with a clafoutis-like texture. 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Cake Cooling: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 slices

For the Blueberry Ricotta Cake:

For the Glaze:

Instructions

How to Make Ricotta Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with a ring of parchment. Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until frothy.
  • Blend in melted butter until smooth. Add 15 oz ricotta, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp lemon zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute or just until blended.
  • Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle 1 1/2 cups blueberries evenly over the top.
  • Bake in the center of oven at 350˚F for 60-65 min or until edges are lightly browned and cake appears set. It will still have a slight jiggle in the center. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes in the pan then transfer to a cake platter. Once cake is on the cake platter, you should be able to easily slide out the parchment from under the cake.

How to Make Lemon Glaze:

  • In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice, adding more juice or powdered sugar to thin or thicken the glaze to desired consistency. Drizzle over warm cake and serve.

Nutrition Per Serving

439kcal Calories50g Carbs10g Protein22g Fat13g Saturated Fat143mg Cholesterol230mg Sodium261mg Potassium1g Fiber34g Sugar770IU Vitamin A5.2mg Vitamin C192mg Calcium1.5mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Blueberry Ricotta Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
439
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
 
13
g
81
%
Cholesterol
 
143
mg
48
%
Sodium
 
230
mg
10
%
Potassium
 
261
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
 
50
g
17
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
34
g
38
%
Protein
 
10
g
20
%
Vitamin A
 
770
IU
15
%
Vitamin C
 
5.2
mg
6
%
Calcium
 
192
mg
19
%
Iron
 
1.5
mg
8
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: ricotta cake
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 439
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

4.98 from 171 votes (89 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Lily McLoud
    February 8, 2020

    Hi Natasha, I just made this Blueberry cake, it taste so good but not the look, the middle was sink and the parchment paper stick on the bottom of the cake any suggestions ? I did exactly as written.

    Thank you and always loves your recipes

    Lily

    Reply

    • Natasha
      February 9, 2020

      Hi Lily, did you possibly use wax paper? It sounds like it could also have been under-baked. When you did the toothpick test, did the toothpick come out clean?

      Reply

      • Lily
        February 9, 2020

        Thank you Natasha … yes, its maybe wax paper and I tooth picked after 1 hour and came out clean .. after really cool, I can “peel” the paper … 🙂
        I will make it again for sure …

        Thank you again for sharing your recipe,
        Lily

        Reply

  • Jan
    January 30, 2020

    Is it possible to use frozen blueberries?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 30, 2020

      Hi Jan, frozen blueberries should work fine but I would suggest baking an extra 5 minutes.

      Reply

  • Angela
    January 24, 2020

    Made this cake twice in the same week since I got a big tub of ricotta. My husband didn’t like the lemon glaze on top but I didn’t mind it. The second time I made it without the glaze. This cake is so delicious and so easy to make. The texture is so fun!!! Definitely will be making it again!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 25, 2020

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!

      Reply

  • Michael
    January 19, 2020

    Hey Natasha, I can’t seem to find any 9 inch baking pans… What can I use to substitute for them.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 20, 2020

      Hi Michael, do you have a 10″ or 8″ pan you can use?

      Reply

    • Karina
      April 10, 2020

      Hi Natasha, can I use vegetable oil instead of butter, because we are not a fan of any kind of butter. If so, how much oil I can use?

      Thank you
      Karina

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        April 10, 2020

        Hello Karina, I haven’t tried using vegetable oil for this recipe to advise. If you want to experiment, please share with us how it goes.

        Reply

  • Alina
    January 4, 2020

    I made the Blueberry Ricotta cake for the New Year family lunch and honestly my mother in law said it was the best cake I ever made!! This is incredible praise, because I am a good baker and I am the “go to” person in the family for cakes and deserts. Everyone loved the texture of the ricotta cheese and the fact that the cake was not too sweet. One of the best cakes I ever made. Thanks Natasha for a great recipe that I will make again.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 4, 2020

      Sounds like you found your new favorite & go-to cake! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Alina!

      Reply

  • Jane
    November 15, 2019

    Think I can substitute the sugar with honey? If so – how much should I use?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 15, 2019

      I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

      Reply

  • Elena
    October 26, 2019

    Thank you, Natasha! So yummy! We ate the whole cake at once! I would put 10 stars if I could. The texture is so creamy and moist, it reminds cheesecake but it’s 100 times better.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Elena!

      Reply

  • Carolyn Luebbe
    October 22, 2019

    Does this need to be refrigerated?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 22, 2019

      Hi Carolyn, it could keep well for a day at room temperature, but I would cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

      Reply

  • Nata K
    October 2, 2019

    Another amazing recipe, easy to make and delicious love all the combos

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 2, 2019

      Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback and review with us, Nata!

      Reply

  • Lauren
    August 14, 2019

    Fantastic cake. I made it with home made ricotta and organic blueberries from the farm up the road. Since I learned how to make ricotta I have been looking for recipes using it. Thanks for this.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 14, 2019

      I can imagine how great this tastes with farm fresh ingredients.

      Reply

  • Katerina
    August 11, 2019

    Such a fabulous recipe, Natasha! I replaced the sugar with stevia/monkfruit sweetener and used spelt flour instead of regular plain flour. It came out beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 12, 2019

      That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Natalia
    August 9, 2019

    Is there any reason why the blueberries would all sink to the bottom?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 9, 2019

      Hi Natalia, I haven’t had that happen. We are more than happy to troubleshoot, was anything altered in the recipe?

      Reply

  • Rodaba
    July 31, 2019

    Wow ! The recipe was so simple to follow – for someone like me who isn’t good at cooking or baking. It surprised me how perfect the cake came out from the very first try. I will bake it again this weekend for the family.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 31, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

      Reply

    • Jesse
      July 31, 2019

      I concur completely: this is a favorite recipe for me to make with my five-year-old, who is much more meticulious about beating the eggs to a proper froth (“It says TWO MINUTES, Papa!”) than I… and I get better results with his help!

      Reply

  • Elena
    July 23, 2019

    I made it with mascarpone+cream cheese as I couldn’t find ricotta. The result was still amazing.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 23, 2019

      That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!

      Reply

  • Min
    July 22, 2019

    Hello Natasha,
    Thank you for this delicious recipe!

    How long can this cake go without refrigeration?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 22, 2019

      Hi Min, Yes, you would want to refrigerate this cake. We haven’t tested leaving it out for an extended period of time so I cannot advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  • Martha Conley
    July 21, 2019

    This cake was delicious!! Easy and cool on a hot summer day.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 21, 2019

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that.

      Reply

  • Lucille madden
    July 18, 2019

    I would love a gluten free low calorie birthday cake. My birthday is Sunday and would love a great idea for a low calorie,cause i am on a diet and would love my cake thank you and will be waiting to here.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 18, 2019

      Happy Birthday Lucille! Have you tried our Almond Cake yet?

      Reply

  • Lisa
    June 25, 2019

    Thank Natasha! This cake is amazingly delicious!! I just love how the blueberries sit on the top. I’ve got two pie crusts chilling (thanks for that recipe too!) Blueberry pie tomorrow :). I just love blueberry season here in NJ.

    Thanks again for the great recipe!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 25, 2019

      Thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.

      Reply

  • Lyuda
    June 20, 2019

    Hey Natasha, I was wondering do you think cherries would work instead of blueberries?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 20, 2019

      Hi Lyuda, I haven’t tested that so I cannot advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  • Gail
    June 18, 2019

    I love the cake I tried making it with strawberries instead of blueberries today and it wasn’t nearly as good, I have made alot of recipes from your site and my family and I have enjoyed all of them,thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 18, 2019

      Hi Gail! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!

      Reply

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