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This orange ricotta cake is the moistest cake I make, and it comes together in one bowl with a whisk. No mixer. No draining the ricotta, no cheesecloth, none of that. Just melted butter, a container of whole milk ricotta, and the zest of one big orange. Then a thick orange buttercream over the top, which is the part everyone hovers around before you’ve even cut it.
If you loved my Ricotta Cheesecake or my Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, this is about to become your favorite. It’s the cake I bring when I want it to look like I tried.
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Pin ItWhat Makes Orange Ricotta Cake So Moist
The ricotta, mostly. It’s rich enough to keep the crumb soft and almost custardy, and this cake is somehow better on day two than it is on day one.
You don’t have to drain it, either. Most ricotta cake recipes will send you looking for cheesecloth. Skip all of that. Open the container, measure, done.
There’s no mixer involved. Melted butter and a whisk, one bowl, the way my Buttermilk Cake works.
And then there’s the buttercream. Most ricotta cakes stop at a dusting of powdered sugar, which is lovely and also a little sleepy. Ours gets a real orange buttercream and it’s worth every one of the five extra minutes.
It’s a year-round cake, too. I’ve served it at garden parties, tea parties, and a fall harvest party, and it has never once felt out of season.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“So damn good and moist. The crumb is unreal. The icing is a must.”
Syrine
Orange Ricotta Cake Ingredients
Whole milk ricotta. This is the whole cake, so buy something good. Whole milk, full fat, straight from the container. No draining required.
Unsalted butter, melted. Melted, not softened. That’s what makes this a whisk recipe instead of a stand mixer recipe.
Granulated sugar. Plain white keeps the orange tasting clean and bright.
Eggs. Room temperature. There’s a reason for this and I explain it in the tips.
Orange zest. One large orange gives you the 2 tablespoons you need. All the real orange flavor lives in the zest, not the juice, so don’t try to swap it. If you want to go all out, top the finished cake with dehydrated orange slices. They look like you bought the cake somewhere expensive.
Pure vanilla extract. Rounds everything out. A vanilla bean is beautiful here if you have one sitting around.
All-purpose flour. Nothing special. I use King Arthur, same as my Carrot Cake.
Baking powder. Check the date on the tin. Old baking powder is the second most common reason a cake comes out flat.
For the buttercream: butter, fresh orange juice, more zest, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of cream. One bowl, one whisk.
How to Make Orange Ricotta Cake
- Prep the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 or 9 inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment. This crumb is soft and it will stick if you skip that step.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla until pale and smooth. You’re adding a little air, which keeps things light.
- Add the ricotta. Stir until smooth, about 30 seconds. Straight from the container.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, salt. Fold gently and stop the moment the flour disappears. Over-mixing is the number one reason a ricotta cake turns out dense.
- Tap it. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and knock the pan against the counter a few times to release the big bubbles.
- Bake. 25 to 35 minutes, until it’s lightly golden, a little domed, and springs back when you press the top.
- Cool it completely. Ten minutes in the pan, then invert onto a rack. It has to be fully cool or the buttercream will slide right off. When I’m impatient, ten minutes in the freezer does it.
- Make the buttercream glaze. Whisk the melted butter, orange juice, zest, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream until smooth and spreadable. Too thick? Another splash of cream. Spread it over the cake and finish with orange slices or edible flowers.
Eden’s Tips
Room temperature eggs and ricotta, always. This one isn’t optional. Cold ingredients hitting melted butter make it seize into little lumps, and you’ll end up with a grainy batter. Pull them out 30 minutes ahead and go do something else.
Zest right over the bowl. When you zest a citrus, you can see the tiny mist of oil spray out. That’s the good part. Don’t let it land on your cutting board.
Don’t drain the ricotta. I know other recipes tell you to. This one doesn’t need it, and skipping it is half the reason this cake is so easy.
Use a light colored pan if you have one. Dark pans run hot and the edges will brown before the middle sets.
If you like things less sweet, you have room. One reader dropped the batter sugar to ½ cup and loved it with tea. I make it at ¾, but either works.
Baking gluten free? A 1:1 blend is fine. Let the batter rest 10 minutes first so the flour can hydrate.
How to Store Orange Ricotta Cake
This one keeps beautifully, which is one of my favorite things about it. An airtight container on the counter holds for 3 days, and the fridge gets you 5. Cold ricotta cake is genuinely a delight, so don’t rule it out. Just let the slices sit out for fifteen minutes before serving.
To freeze it, leave it unfrosted. Wrap the cooled cake well and it’ll keep for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then whisk up the buttercream fresh and ice it before serving.
Orange Ricotta Cake FAQs
No, and this is the best news in the whole recipe. Almost every ricotta cake will tell you to strain it through cheesecloth first. This one doesn’t need it. Open the container, measure it out, stir it in.
Usually over-mixing. Once the flour goes in, fold gently and stop as soon as it disappears. The other likely culprit is old baking powder, and there’s a quick way to check: stir a little into hot water, and if it fizzes, you’re fine.
You can, but I wouldn’t. Whole milk ricotta is what makes this cake rich and tender and keeps it good for days. Part-skim bakes up noticeably drier.
Yes, and it’s lovely. Swap the orange for lemon one for one, in both the cake and the buttercream. If you’re on a lemon streak, my Lemon Olive Oil Cake and Lemon Loaf Cake are both worth making.
An 8 or 9-inch round is what I’ve tested. A springform works too, just butter the sides well. A loaf pan needs closer to 45 or 55 minutes, and tent it with foil if the top starts browning early.
Hold a microplane right over the bowl. Take only the orange part, and stop when you reach the white pith underneath, which is bitter. One large orange gives you about 2 tablespoons.
In the buttercream, sure. In the batter, the fresh zest is doing all the work, and there’s no substitute for it.
Yes, and I often do. Bake the cake a day early, wrap it, leave it on the counter, then make the buttercream and ice it the day you’re serving.
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If you make this orange ricotta cake, please come back and leave a 5-star rating and a review below. It really does help other readers find the recipe, and I read every single one.
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Orange Ricotta Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Orange Ricotta Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces, melted
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta , whole milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp orange zest , grated from 1 large orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Orange Buttercream Icing
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp orange juice , fresh squeezed
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk, More or less depending on desired texture. You can use heavy cream too.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch or 9-inch round pan, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside. A springform pan works too, just butter the sides well.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, about 50 seconds. Let it cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla until blended and pale.
- Add the ricotta straight from the container and stir until smooth, about 30 seconds. There is no need to drain it.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently until the flour just disappears. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and knock the pan against the counter a few times to release air bubbles.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until lightly golden, slightly domed in the center, and springy to the touch.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely before icing. The cake must be fully cool or the icing will melt off. To speed it up, place the cooled cake in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Orange Buttercream Icing
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan.
- Add the orange zest, orange juice, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. Whisk until smooth and creamy. It should spread easily. If too thick, add more cream a little at a time.
- Spread over the completely cooled cake. Decorate with orange slices or edible flowers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So damn good and moist. The crumb is unreal. The icing is a must.
I put 1/2 cup of sugar in the batter instead of 3/4 cup and I’m glad, the cake is really sweet with the icing on top but it goes really well with a nice cup of tea 😉
I will put even less sugar in the batter next time.
Looks so yummy.
I might try it in two 6″ pans. the layers would be a bit thin maybe but it would be a cute two layer option.
Thanks for sharing the recipe