Make the Ultimate Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

We love pound cake. Plain pound cake is fine, but add blueberries, lemon and ricotta and this pound cake, well, takes the cake (as the saying goes!). I had a half container of ricotta left in the fridge, and when I remembered I had this cake recipe I just had to make it again.

Since it’s made with white whole wheat flour, one might even infer it’s good for you. And we all know blueberries are high in antioxidants and vitamins. Ricotta makes this pound cake moist. Lemon (both the zest and the juice) compliments the blueberries and add a little Vitamin C. Zesting is easy with a zester/grater tool.

I pulled out a frozen bag of blueberries we picked at the blueberry farm last year – big, plump, tasty high bush blueberries. Put frozen berries straight into the dough. No defrosting required.

To start, cream the butter, which must be at room temperature, and sugar until very creamy. This may take a while even with a stand mixer (KitchenAid is my preference) to make sure the sugar is dissolved and the mix starts to get light and fluffy. Then eggs are added one at a time; eggs should be room temperature. Place in some warm water for 5 minutes if you just took them out of the fridge – something I frequently have to do!

Cream butter and sugar
After the eggs, add in zest, ricotta and lemon juice.

The rest of the ingredients are added right to the mixing bowl, so easy-peasy and only one bowl to wash up. Fold in the blueberries, fresh or frozen, right at the end. A little parchment paper in the loaf pan makes sure it comes out easily.

Stir long enough to mix in the dry ingredients

The cake is a little dense, it’s pound cake after all, but so moist from the berries and ricotta. It’s great plain, but a little butter on one slice, or a drizzle of lemon glaze (lemon juice and confectionery sugar) makes it even better.

I add frozen blueberries
Fold in the blueberries
Smooth into a pan
Parchment lifts the pound cake right out of the loaf pan
Print

Ultimate BLueberry Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

A tasty moist pound cake studded with blueberries and big on flavor

Course Bread, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword blueberry pound cake, lemon blueberry pound cake, moist pound cake, ricotta in pound cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 5 tbsp butter, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup ricotta
  • 1 large lemon, zested (about 2 tbsp) and juice squeezed, (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat pastry flour, or white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper lengthwise, covering the bottom and up the ends. Spray again with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.

  2. Put butter and sugar in the mixing bowl and beat well until the sugar dissolves and the mix is light and fluffy.

  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate. Then add the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. beat to mix in.

  4. Add baking powder and salt and mix briefly, then add the flour. Mix until all flour is incorporated. The dough will get quite stiff. Add blueberries and mix for a few seconds, or fold in by hand.

  5. Drop into the lined pan, spread dough evenly.

  6. Bake 1 hour or until teh edges start to brown, and a tester comes out cleean. Let cool inthe pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Slice with a serrated knife, and eat plain or with butter.  Since this is not a really sweet cake, a glaze of confectionery sugar and lemon juice can be made and drizzled over the top as well.