Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

The Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake is a perfect springtime Southern dessert. Bursting with vibrant flavors of fresh blueberries and zesty lemon. Baked to perfection in a bundt pan in about 50 minutes with a golden crust and a moist interior. The finishing touch is a lemon icing drizzle, adding a tangy sweetness to every slice.

Y'all.....this pound cake is everything! I have a slight confession. I am not a big sweet person. Give me a salt-crunchy like 6 Ingredient Marshmallow Popcorn Balls or cheesy like 2 Minute Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Dip something any day over a sweet.

BUT!

I am not a total savage. There are a handful of sweet treats that just get me. Like, I lose a little self-control get me. Homemade pound cake is one of them.

When my mom would make it growing up I couldn't stop. It would be one more slice here and then a small slice there and before you knew it we all had destroyed the whole thing. The bundt pan just makes it so easy to slice off just one more slice! Similar to apple bundt cake with bourbon caramel glaze - ugh, so good! Am I right?!

This pound can is light and fluffy thanks to the lemon zest, bright tangy lemon juice, and the addition of ricotta cheese. Pound cake is quite dense and heavy, but those 2 things help lighten it up a bit. It is filled with fresh blueberries bursting with every bite and all topped with a light lemon icing that is super easy to make. Let me show you how to do it!

Key Ingredient Notes

• Full Fat Ricotta - While you can use part-skim or low-fat ricotta, I do not recommend it. The full-fat ricotta gives this cake extra flavor and moisture. You can use the other kind if needed or wanted, but it will result in a slightly different flavor of the cake.
• Flour -  I always use King Arthur brand flour for all my baking recipes.
• Baking Powder - make sure you have fresh baking powder - like within the past 6 months. I write the date on the lid so I don't forget to replace it every 6 months, even if it isn't used all the way (and it usually isn't). If you have old baking powder, this will affect the rise of the biscuits - they will not turn out as tall and tender as they should.
• Blueberries - we are going to be using fresh blueberries for this cake. After recipe testing, I preferred using fresh over frozen.

You can use frozen blueberries if you do not have fresh ones on hand. Also, note that they may change the color of the batter slightly. As frozen blueberries start to melt they can start to change the color of whatever they are in - in this case, the batter. Wait to get them out of the freezer until needed, mix with flour, mix in batter, and then pop straight in the oven.

How to Make

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with melted butter. Sprinkle in about a tablespoon of flour and shake around to cover all of the pan.

STEP TWO: In a bowl, add in the softened butter and sugar. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

STEP THREE: Add in eggs next, 1 at a time, slowly mixing until they are just incorporated. Do not overmix. Add in the ricotta and mix.

STEP FOUR: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add in the sifted dry ingredients and mix until everything is together and there are just a few flour streaks left in the batter.

STEP FIVE: Toss the washed and dried blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. This will help the fresh blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake when baking. Place in the batter. Finally, zest 1 lemon. Add the zest and lemon juice to the batter and using a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries until everything is mixed well. Do not over mix. 

STEP SIX: Spoon in the greased and flours bundt pan and make sure there is an even layer all around. Place in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean with only a few crumbs on it when it is finished baking. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack to finished cooling.

Pro Tips

These are a couple of tips to keep in mind while baking this cake that will help make it the best every time!

1. Room temperature ingredients. I know. It is kind of a hassle to remember to set out your butter, ricotta and eggs out before baking. But it does make a different. This is an excellent post otlinging WHY room temperature ingredients matter and HOW to do it, especially if you forget.
2. Whip butter and sugar long enough. When you cream the butter and sugar at the beginning, make sure you mix it long enough (2-3 minutes) until light and fluffy.
3. Don't OVERMIX. But on the other hand, once you start adding the other ingredients, do not overmix! Mix until just combined. If you overmix, the cake may deflate and come out dense.
4. The lemon zest and juice BOTH are key. Adding lemon zest adds that extra deminision of flavor and boosts the overall lemon falvor. Don't skip it!

This pound cake is a little bit lighter in texture thanks to the ricotta but it has the softest, fluffiest, and oh so moist interior that will have you coming back for more. To store any leftoversm just wrap the cake in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

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