Lemon Ricotta Cream Cake

The filling for this cake is just ricotta beaten smooth with lemon and sugar, then folded together with whipped cream. No eggs, no baking the filling, no water bath. You make it in about ten minutes, pour it over a cookie crust in a springform, and let the fridge do the rest.

What comes out is something between a cheesecake and a mousse — light enough that you want a second slice, lemony enough to taste like something, and creamy in a way that isn’t heavy. The texture is the whole point. Whipping the cream separately and folding it in is what gives this cake its lift. If you stir the cream in instead, you lose the air and end up with something denser and less interesting.

Active prep: 25 minutes  ·  Chill: 4 hours minimum  ·  Serves 10

What You Need

Ingredient	Amount	Note
Cookie Crust
Vanilla wafers or shortbread cookies	200g (about 2 cups crushed)	Digestive biscuits work well too
Unsalted butter, melted	5 tablespoons (70g)
Lemon Ricotta Filling
Whole-milk ricotta	400g (about 1¾ cups)	Drain if watery — line a strainer with cheesecloth and press
Powdered sugar	½ cup (60g)	Sifted; adjust to taste
Fresh lemon juice	2 tablespoons	From about 1 lemon
Lemon zest	1–2 teaspoons	Grated on a microplane
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Heavy cream, very cold	1 cup (240ml)	Whipped to stiff peaks separately
Finish
Powdered sugar	For dusting
Lemon curls or zest	For garnish

this now & bake later ❤️

On draining the ricotta: Check your ricotta before you start. If there’s visible liquid sitting in the container, drain it. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a paper towel, add the ricotta, and press gently for 20–30 minutes. Wet ricotta makes a filling that won’t set properly and stays loose after chilling.

Mascarpone variation: You can swap the ricotta entirely for mascarpone for a richer, more cream-cheese-adjacent result. The lemon flavor is slightly less bright but the texture is silkier.

How to Build It

Make the Crust

Crush the cookies to fine crumbs — a food processor takes 30 seconds, or a zip-top bag and a rolling pin works fine. Mix with the melted butter until every crumb is coated and the mixture holds together when you press a bit between your fingers.

Press firmly into the bottom of the springform. Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to compact it evenly. Refrigerate while you make the filling — a cold crust means the filling won’t sink into it.

Make the Ricotta Base

Beat the drained ricotta with the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until smooth and slightly lighter in texture. Taste it. It should be bright and lemony — add more juice or zest if it needs it, more sugar if it’s too tart. Adjust now, before the cream goes in.

Whip the Cream and Fold

In a separate chilled bowl, whip the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks. Cold cream, cold bowl — this makes a difference in how quickly and firmly it whips.

Add about a third of the whipped cream to the ricotta and stir it in to loosen the base. Then add the remaining cream in two additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula using long strokes that go from the bottom of the bowl up and over. Stop as soon as the mixture is uniform — overmixing deflates the cream and you lose the lightness that makes this cake worth making.

Fill, Chill, and Serve

Pour the filling over the chilled crust and smooth the top with the spatula. The filling won’t level itself — take a moment to get it flat.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. The filling firms up as it chills and holds its shape cleanly when sliced. Right at 4 hours it’s still slightly soft; after 8 hours it slices like a proper cake.

Before releasing the springform, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving — it absorbs if you do it too far ahead. Add lemon curls or a pile of grated zest in the center.

How to Serve It

Cold, in clean slices. Wipe the knife between cuts for the neatest edges. This cake doesn’t need anything alongside — the lemon and cream are complete on their own. A cup of tea or espresso is the right accompaniment.

For a more dressed-up presentation: scatter fresh raspberries or blueberries over the top alongside the lemon. The fruit cuts through the creaminess and makes the whole thing look more deliberate.

What Goes Wrong

Wet ricotta. The filling won’t set and slices fall apart. Drain it if there’s any liquid in the container.

Stirring instead of folding the cream. You deflate it and lose the mousse-like texture. Fold, slowly, just until combined.

Not chilling long enough. Four hours is the minimum. Right at four hours the filling is still soft and won’t hold a clean slice. Overnight is reliably better.

Dusting powdered sugar too far ahead. It absorbs into the surface and disappears. Dust right before serving.

Per Serving

• ~310 calories
• 22g fat, 24g carbs, 7g protein

Most of the fat is from the cream and ricotta. Lower sugar than most cakes — the filling is lightly sweetened by design so the lemon comes through clearly.

Keeping It

Covered in the springform or transferred to a container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. The crust softens slightly over time but the flavor stays good. Don’t freeze — the whipped cream structure breaks down when thawed.

Make This for Someone

This is a cake that looks like more work than it is — a dusted, garnished chilled cake that people assume took real effort. The truth is the hardest part is waiting for it to chill. I make it the night before whenever I can and it’s always exactly right by the time it’s served. Tell me in the comments whether you used ricotta or mascarpone, and whether you added berries. Rate the recipe, save it on Pinterest, and subscribe for more.

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