This Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake is as fluffy as a cloud, bursting with lemon flavor, and studded with fresh blueberries. It’s perfect for both breakfast and dessert!
This Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake is just the thing to start of the summer season! The ricotta gives it a moist, delicate crumb that isn’t dry like most pound cakes. And fresh blueberries combined with lemon juice add a delicious bright flavor.
We topped it with a lemon glaze to give it that extra pop of citrus, and we love pairing it with a cold glass of milk or a cup of breakfast tea! If you like citrus and fruit loaf cakes, try our Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake with Raspberry Glaze.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright Flavor: The lemon juice, zest, and lemon glaze add so much summery flavor to the cake.
- Super Soft Texture: The ricotta adds the perfect amount of moisture to the cake, giving it a soft, tender crumb.
- Simple to Make: There’s no overly complicated steps to this recipe, and it comes together easily.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour: Grams are the best way to measure your flour. We recommend getting a kitchen scale for better results.
- Baking Powder + Salt: We use fine sea salt, but table salt will work here too.
- Unsalted Butter: We prefer to use European-style butter since it has a higher fat percentage. This yields a softer, more moist baked good.
- Granulated Sugar: We like to rub it with the lemon zest for a more fragrant and lemony pound cake.
- Lemon Juice + Zest: You’ll need about 3-4 medium-sized lemons for the whole cake.
- Eggs: Bring them to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Ricotta: Use full-fat ricotta for best results and bring it to room temperature before using.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You’ll need 2 tsp.
- Blueberries: We like to use fresh blueberries, but frozen works too. No need to thaw them.
- Powdered Sugar: This is the base of the glaze.
- Lemon Extract (optional): You can find it at most grocery stores near the vanilla extract. We like to use a tiny bit in the glaze to give it a bigger pop of lemon flavor.
Kitchen Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then toss the blueberries in 1 tsp of flour and set aside.
STEP 2: Make the lemon sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, massage the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant and pale yellow. This releases the natural oils, giving you an even stronger lemon flavor.
STEP 3: Add the wet ingredients. Beat the sugar and butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the ricotta and mix for 1 minute until thoroughly combined. Then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. It’ll look curdled, but that’s ok. It comes together in the end so don’t worry.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour and mix until there’s a few streaks left. Then fold in the blueberries until just combined. Don’t overmix.
STEP 5: Bake. Bake the pound cake for 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few soft crumbs. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 6: Make the glaze. Once the cake has fully cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon extract until it’s nice and drizzly. Then pour it over the lemon blueberry ricotta pound cake.
Expert Tips
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze. If the cake is too warm, the glaze will just fall right off or melt into it. It takes about 1.5-2 hours for the cake to fully cool.
- Toss the blueberries in flour. This step prevents them from sinking to the bottom of your cake when baking.
- Scrape down the bowl as you mix the batter. We always include this in our recipe card, but it’s crucial for making sure your batter is evenly mixed. So be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula in between each step of the mixing process.
FAQ
We haven’t tried it with gluten-free flour, but Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Flour is the best alternative. Simply use the same amount as you would the all-purpose flour. If you try it, let us know how it turned out!
We don’t recommend using a lower fat ricotta cheese because the fat content is what helps to give it its soft, fluffy texture. Using part skim or low-fat ricotta cheese would yield a drier cake.
Ideally, when you poke it with a cake tester or toothpick in the center, you want soft (not gummy) crumbs. It’s ok if it comes out clean, just be careful not to overbake the cake as it could come out dry. Ours is usually closer to being done towards the higher end of the bake time, but it could vary depending on your oven.
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Double wrap your pound cake with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Double wrap the cake in plastic wrap then wrap in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to eat it.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) Loaf Pan
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) + 1 tsp all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, divided
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 250 g (1 ¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest from 1-2 lemons
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter softened
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 230 g (1 cup) full-fat ricotta cheese room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 160 g (1 cup) blueberries
For the Glaze:
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar spooned and leveled
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp lemon extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x5 inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) of flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another small bowl, toss the blueberries in 1 tsp of flour and evenly coat them. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your hands until fragrant and pale yellow. This helps to release the natural oils.
- Fit the stand mixer with a paddle attachment and add the butter to the bowl of lemon sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy, scraping down the bowl halfway though with a silicone spatula.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Scrape down the bowl again and add the ricotta. Continue mixing on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla extract (it will look curdled at this point, but it's ok). Then with the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and mix until there's a few streaks left.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the blueberries until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or ideally with a few soft crumbs. During the last 15 minutes of baking, loosely place a tent of foil over the loaf to prevent over browning.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze, about 1 ½-2 hours.
- For the glaze, add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon extract (optional) to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and drizzly then pour over the fully cooled cake. Decorate with fresh blueberries and lemon zest if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Blueberries: Frozen blueberries will work too. No need to thaw them, just toss them into the 1 tsp of flour and add them to the batter as soon as you're ready to use them. Thawing them will cause your pound cake to have blue-ish grey streaks.
- Storing: Double wrap the cake in plastic wrap or seal it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Leave a Comment