When it comes to ricotta, think beyond fillings and pastas. Ricotta’s mild flavor and high fat content makes it an ideal addition to cakes, creating a perfectly moist and tender crumb. Full-fat supermarket ricotta is your friend here—fancier brands may not have the moisture content you want for this recipe, and using a creamy ricotta is key.
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
- 1⅓ cups blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or halved or quartered hulled strawberries (about 8 oz.)
- 2 Tbsp. plus 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 (heaping) Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract Juice of 1 large lemon
- 8 oz. whole-milk fresh ricotta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Brush a 9″-diameter cake pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Line bottom with a parchment paper round. Combine 1⅓ cups blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or halved or quartered hulled strawberries and 2 Tbsp. (25 g) sugar in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash together until sugar is hydrated and no dry spots remain. There will be some totally smashed berries, but some should still be intact. Set berry mixture aside.
- Whisk 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. baking soda in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside.
- Place 1 Tbsp. (heaping) finely grated lemon zest and remaining 1 cup (200 g) sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingers, work lemon zest into sugar until sugar starts to clump and mixture is very fragrant. Add 3 large eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and remaining ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil and whisk vigorously until mixture is pale and smooth. Add juice of 1 large lemon and 8 oz. whole-milk fresh ricotta and mix just until combined. Add reserved dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until incorporated and batter is mostly smooth.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and spoon reserved (now syrupy) berries on top. Bake cake until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in pan. Invert cake onto a large plate; peel away parchment and discard. Turn cake right side up.
