Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
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Adapted from Melissa Weller, this chocolate chip ricotta cake has a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture.
Adapted from A Good Bake by Melissa Weller and Carolynn Carreno, this chocolate chip ricotta cake is easily one of the best cakes I have ever made — and I have baked a lot of cakes in my day. Weller, a master baker and French Culinary Institute graduate, developed the cake for Sadelle’s, a brunch mecca in Soho, New York City. The addition of ricotta cheese gives the cake a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture. The cake is also jam-packed with mini chocolate chips, making it a crowdpleaser for all ages.
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk well and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the the butter and sugar.
Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Beat in the vanilla (don’t worry if the batter looks curdled).
Add the ricotta cheese.
Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients in one addition.
Mix on low speed until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate chips.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips into the batter until they are evenly dispersed, making sure to scrape the very bottom of the bowl. (You’ll notice that the ricotta cheese gives the batter a slightly grainy texture.)
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to smooth and level out the top.
Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, until completely set and golden brown on top. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, if necessary, then remove the ring of the springform pan.
Let the cake cool completely on the rack before cutting. Enjoy!
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Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
Adapted from Melissa Weller, this chocolate chip ricotta cake has a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur), spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups whole milk ricotta cheese, preferably Galbani brand
- 1¼ cups mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (see note) with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla (don't worry if the batter looks curdled). Add the ricotta cheese and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients in one addition. Mix on low speed until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips into the batter until they are evenly dispersed, making sure to scrape the very bottom of the bowl. (You'll notice that the ricotta cheese gives the batter a slightly grainy texture.)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to smooth and level out the top. Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, until completely set and golden brown on top. (If the top starts to get too dark towards the end, cover the pan loosely with foil.) Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, if necessary, then remove the ring of the springform pan. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before cutting.
- Note: If you don't have a springform pan, a 9-inch square pan works well (a 9-inch round pan, however, is too small). If you'd like to be able to remove the cake from the square pan, you can line the pan with a parchment sling.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months; after the cake is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Calories: 460
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I love this cake! I’ve now made it probably a dozen times. My question is, will it work in a bundt pan? I’d like to make it for a holiday event coming up and thought it would look more festive that way. Any thoughts?
Glad you like it! I’d be reluctant to make this in a Bundt pan – I think the chocolate chips will likely stick – sorry!
Because every recipe I’ve made from this site has been wonderful, I trusted that this cake would be excellent too. Big mistake. My cake looked like the photos here, but it was not at all like a good ricotta cake, which is more like a cheesecake. This cake was too cakey- more like a regular moist cake. It has too much butter, too much flour, way too many chocolate chips, and needs another egg and at least a 1/4 cup sour cream before it will resemble a genuine ricotta cake.
Yes. I used KAF AP flour and Galbani Whole Milk ricotta. I felt like it was a huge waste of good ingredients and a huge disappointment.
Maria, I know what you are talking about with the ricotta cake that’s more like a cheesecake. However, this is not a recipe for that cake 🙂 The pictures show a cakey cake here and it sounds like you made it perfectly. It’s a great recipe.
Thank you so much for all the great recipes! Do you think you could make this in a Bundt pan? I have one with fall decorations I’m dying to use.
Hi Liz, I’d hesitate to make this cake recipe in a Bundt – I think the chocolate chips will likely stick and you’ll have a mess on your hands. Sorry!
Ditto to all the 5 star reviews! Impossibly moist (just like you said!) and so unbelievably delicious. I would never guess the main ingredient is ricotta. Thank you!!
Holy ricotta on a rocket – this cake is amazing. I just baked it and threw in some toffee chips along with chocolate.
Bravissima!
6/5 stars will definitely make again!
So easy and so delicious!!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!!
This cake was easy to put together and came out looking just like the picture! It is SO good I’m going to have to cut it into slices & freeze it; otherwise, I’ll eat it all ! Great recipe, thanks Jen!!
Hello Jen
I tried this recipe as well as I was searching for recipes to use up some fresh
Ricotta i had . It was a success🙂
Glad I came upon ‘one upon a chef’ and will be trying out many of your
recipes as you make it easy to follow🙂
Question please for the ricotta cake how many days can it stay at room temperature?
Thank you
Hi Anna, glad you enjoyed the cake! It’s at its best on the counter for 1 to 2 days. You can also freeze it. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. 🙂
Came across this recipe from the Mother’s Day Brunch recommendations. Wow! So delicious. I was trying to use up some ricotta and thought I’d try this. I had part-skim ricotta and only had full-size milk chocolate Ghirardelli chips and it turned out fantastic. I had to bake it for about 75 minutes but put the foil on and voila! So delicious. It’s rich and has the perfect amount of sweetness. Jen, I’d recommend you put an alert on this recipe that you may want to eat the whole thing in one sitting ;). Another great recipe!!! Thank you.
Made this for a Thanksgiving gathering! One relative literally said they could eat the whole thing! So I concur…this cake is so good you will keep eating eat it! Make sure you assure everyone the dark bits are chocolate! I am definitely making this again and I will experiment with a gluten free version that I am sure it will turn out amazing with this recipe!
Thank you!
If using King Arthur flour can I use regular chips? Maybe dust with flour before adding.
Thanks,
Chris
You can try it, but I can’t guarantee they won’t sink. And, yes, I’d dust them lightly with flour.
I didn’t dust the full size chips and they didn’t sink. Actually liked the big flavor of a full sized chip. You’ll love this recipe.
I’ve had my eye on this for a really long time! So glad I finally made it. Love at first bite.
It was perfect with only 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips. I used the TreStelle traditional ricotta cheese with great success, however I had to bake the cake for a bit longer in order to obtain the golden brown top – maybe 10-15 more minutes than the recommended time.
The recipe called for 11/2 sticks of softened butter but I used 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil instead for less saturated fat, and the cake turned out beautifully. Just blend the oil and sugar in an electric mixer before adding eggs. I decided to use the zest of one orange after reading one commenter’s suggestion and it really does add a lovely note to the cake.
Made this for our 2023 Easter dinner along with baked ham, scalloped potatoes, Caesar salad (a la Once Upon a Chef), asparagus and green beans. Thanks for the recipes!