This lemon blueberry ricotta pound cake is a perfect springtime Southern dessert. Bursting with vibrant flavors of fresh blueberries and both lemon juice and zest. Baked to perfection in a bundt pan in about 50 minutes, the ricotta cheese keeps the crumb tender and delicate. The finishing touch is a lemon icing drizzle, adding a tangy sweetness to every slice. Yields 16 slices.
I cannot get enough of pound cake!
Being a Southern cook, a love for pound cake is deep in our roots and souls. It's a weakness of mine - I can't quit eating it.
And since springtime is just around the around (get me out of this never-ending winter PLEASE!) I have all the bright lemony recipes on my mind (hello I am looking at you creamy 5-minute lemon fruit dip and lemon ricotta cookies). This lemon and blueberry pound cake has been a reader favorite for years...and for good reason! Let me show you how I like to make it.
Before you start - which blueberries to use?
After multiple rounds of testing this recipe to get it just right, I just both fresh and frozen blueberries. While both of them work - I personally prefer to use fresh blueberries. If you do use frozen, keep in mind they may change the color of the batter slightly. Definitely not a problem and won't change the flavor at all - just something I noticed when I was baking this cake. Wait to get them out of the freezer until needed, mix with flour, mix in batter, and then pop straight in the oven for the best results.
If using fresh blueberries, 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.
LETS BAKE!
Before you start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt pan with melted butter. Sprinkle in about a tablespoon of flour and shake around to cover all of the pan. Set aside until needed.
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.
A good way to tell if your cake is finished cooking is poking a toothpick in the middle of the cake after 50 minutes - it 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 finish cooling.
Recipe
Tender Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake
- Total Time: 70 Minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
This lemon blueberry ricotta pound cake is a perfect springtime Southern dessert. Bursting with vibrant flavors of fresh blueberries and both lemon juice and zest. Baked to perfection in a bundt pan in about 50 minutes, the ricotta cheese keeps the crumb tender and delicate. The finishing touch is a lemon icing drizzle, adding a tangy sweetness to every slice.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Sticks of Butter - room temperature
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ⅔ Cup Ricotta - room temperature
- 3 Eggs - room temperature
- 1 ¾ Cup of Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Cup Blueberries (+ flour for dusting)
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
Lemon Icing
- 2 Ounces of Cream Cheese - room temperature
- ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Zest of ½ Lemon
Instructions
- 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.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. With a handheld mixer, beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add in eggs next, 1 at a time, slowly mixing until they are just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Add in the ricotta and mix.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add in sifted dry ingredients and mix until everything is together and there are just a few flour streaks left in the batter.
- 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.
- Spoon in the greased and floured 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 finish cooling.
Icing
- In a bowl, add all the glaze ingredients. Mix with a handheld mixer until smooth and creamy and no clumps remain. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Notes
- The glaze can also be made with just lemon juice and powdered sugar. This will be a runnier glaze but will work just fine if you don't have cream cheese.
- Store the leftover cake in the fridge because of the fresh berries.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 13.9 g
- Sodium: 169.2 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 62.9 mg
