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.
“I made this last weekend for a neighbor, and she said it was the best cake she’d ever had!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. 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, a few minutes.
Step 3: Mix in the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Step 4: Beat in the vanilla and ricotta cheese. Don’t worry if the batter looks a bit curdled at this point; that’s normal.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients in one addition and mix on low speed until just combined.
Step 6: Mix in the chocolate chips. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Fold 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.)
Step 7: Transfer the batter to the pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth and level out the top.
Step 8: Bake and cool. 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.
Step 9: Serve. 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
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur), spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups whole milk ricotta cheese (preferably Galbani brand)
- 1¼ cups mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9- or 10-in (23 or 25-cm) 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.
Notes
- If you don't have a springform pan, a 9-in (23-cm) square pan works well (a 9-in/23-cm 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 parchment.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing 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
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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Absolutely delicious!! Everyone loved it. Will definitely be making it again.
Thanks for all of your incredible recipes. They are easy to follow and always turn out well.
Would very much consider making this delicious looking cake. I don’t do a lot of baking any more, except for company.
If I make this for my husband and me, does it freeze well? If so, freeze in portions or large?
Also can I use dark chocolate morsels, if they make them?
Much thanks.
Sunny Drohan
Hi Sunny, The cake freezes beautifully, in portions or the whole cake. And yes it’s fine to use dark chocolate morsels.
I really want to make this cake, but at the same time, I am not a big fan of ricotta cheese. How much can you taste the ricotta?
Hi Mia, I promise you really can’t taste it!
Loved this cake. I made it in my 10 inch springform pan. Love your recipes!!! Thank you.
Everyone loved it. I am making it for New Years Eve.
Very moist. I gave it a five star.
I have made this cake multiple times now and it always gets rave reviews. It’s my husband’s favorite dessert that I make. We love it!
Made this today and it’s excellent. Directions were perfect and taste was beyond expectations. This will be a keeper recipe.
Hi! If I wanted to incorporate orange into this recipe, what would you suggest? Zest? Juice? How much of each?
I have a similar recipe for cookies (Dark Chocolate Orange Ricotta Cookies).
Thanks for your help, looking forward to trying this!
Hi Steph, I’d add 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange zest, depending on how strong you’d like the flavor to be.
Hi! Im very excited to try this for the first time this Christmas. i live in Mexico City at an altitude of 7,000+ feet. Any tips on if and how to modify the recipe for the high altitude? Thank you!!!
Hi Susi, I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
I live at 7700′ elevation and have baked at high altitude for 40+ years. The adjustment I make that works for most recipes is to reduce the baking powder and baking soda by 1/4 tsp. per teaspoon called for in the recipe, i.e. use 3/4 tsp. for each teaspoon in the recipe. This works at higher elevations too.
I have not tried this recipe yet but it looks delicious.
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.
I just made this in a 9” pan. Absolutely terrific!! A bit more dense than I would have thought but incredibly moist and flavorful. Baked for 55 minutes exactly. Not a cheesecake and not a waste of good ingredients!!