This delicious cherry almond ricotta cake is perfect for summer! It’s moist and full of cherry, almondy yum! And not too sweet. Plus, it’s easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
Cherry Almond Ricotta Cake
Happy July friends! I sure hope you are enjoying the long, warm days of summer. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve officially reached the point in the year when I start avoiding any non-essential cooking and baking. Or trying to wrestle with my long, curly hair (hello, top bun)!
That’s what is so great about this low-maintenance cherry almond cake with ricotta. It requires so little effort to make. And it produces a super moist cherry almond ricotta cake that isn’t cloyingly sweet.
Like so many of my recipes, this one started with produce about to go bad. This time, it was a bowl full of gorgeous, super-ripe cherries that were just moments away from spoiling. And what goes better with cherries than almonds, right?
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Recipe Baking Tips
A few things to know when you’re baking this almond and cherry cake.
RICOTTA CHEESE: Ricotta cheese helps give this cherry ricotta dessert a super moist texture but I’d recommend using part-skim ricotta cheese, which has less moisture, than the full-fat version.
CHERRIES: I also used fresh cherries in this cherry ricotta recipe. You could try using frozen cherries, but just keep in mind the frozen fruit can release more liquid than fresh fruit, so make sure to keep that in mind. I’d recommend not defrosting the fruit before adding it to the recipe. And you might need a few more to the baking time.
DON’T OVER BAKE: Also, keep an eye on the cake as it gets close to being done. Because the cake batter is pretty dense, it cooks for 50-55 minutes. If the top starts to get darker than you’d like, just cover it with some tin foil until it’s finished baking.
SERVING: When ready to serve, just sprinkle with a light dusting of powdered sugar. You can also add a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream if desired. But seriously, it’s great without!
MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE: This cake will keep up to two days ahead, tightly wrapped, at room temperature. It will also travel well making it a perfect choice for serving at your next picnic, potluck or barbecue!
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The Yummiest Cherry Almond Ricotta Cake
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
This cherry almond ricotta cake perfect for summer! It’s moist and full of cherry, almondy yum! And not too sweet. Plus, it’s easy to make!
Ingredients
- Non-stick vegetable oil spray
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup pitted and sliced (in half) cherries, divided
- Sliced almond
- Powdered sugar, if desired
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9-inch cake pan with vegtable spray (I use coconut oil), line with parchment paper, and then spray parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or another large bowl), add eggs, ricotta, almond extract. and lemon zest. Mix at low to medium speed (or whisk by hand) until smooth.
- Mix in dry ingredient just until blended.
- Add butter and then add 3/4 cup cherries, taking care not to crush the cherries.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and then scatter the top with the remaining 1/4 cup cherries and almond slices.
- Bake until golden brown and cooked through and a tester comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.
- Let cook on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before removing from the cake pan.
Notes
- If the top begins to brown before the cake is done cooking, cover the cake with tin foil.
- You can also make this in 2 6-inch round cake pans. Just adjust the bake time to 30-40 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 467
- Sugar: 42.2 g
- Sodium: 217.1 mg
- Fat: 19.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 64.7 g
- Protein: 10.6 g
- Cholesterol: 114.7 mg
11 Comments on Yummiest Cherry Almond Ricotta Cake
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can i use frozen cherries?
Hi Lori! Yes, you can also use frozen cherries. But keep in mind that frozen fruit can release more liquid than fresh, so you might need to increase the baking time by an additional 5 minutes or longer. Also, you don’t need to thaw the cherries before adding them to the batter.
Looks delicious! How well do you think this would hold up to freezing? I’m thinking of making this on a Wednesday and not serving until Saturday. Thanks
Hi! I have never frozen this particular cake. But in general, cakes freeze well, especially when it’s a dense cake like this one. I would suggest baking the cake and then letting it cool it completely. Then, wrap the cooled cake (without the powdered sugar topping) in both plastic wrap and then foil (to keep any freezer smells away) before freezing it. The day before you’re ready to serve it, transfer the cake from the freezer to the refrigerator. The cake takes at least 8 hours to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Also, thaw the cakes in its wrapping. Condensation forms as foods thaw, but if you leave it in the wrapping, the condensation will stick to the wrapping and not the cake. When you’re ready to serve it, let it warm to room temperature and top with powdered sugar or toppings of your choice. If you try this, make sure to let me know how it works out!
Since ricotta cheese is difficult to find here in Istanbul, i used LOR PEYNİR instead. The result is awesome. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for this!
That’s great! So glad you liked the recipe!!
Hi. Do you think subbing out the cherries for peaches would work ? I’ve made peach ricotta muffins ( Anna Olsen recipe ) that would amazing and I added almond and vanilla extract and the flavours were outstanding .
Hi! I’ve never tried subbing in peaches. But it sounds delicious! If you give it a try, make sure to let me know how it turns out.
Amazing result!
So glad you liked it!
YUM!!! This is the perfect summer cake. Came out so great. Thanks for sharing.