Easy Strawberry Ricotta Cake | Bake to the roots

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The strawberry season kicks off in many parts of Germany in late April or early May. When the first strawberry stands start popping up, you know it’s finally that time of year again! It’s the perfect time to bake a delicious Strawberry Ricotta Cake! At least for me. It’s an incredibly simple cake that’s made truly delicious by juicy strawberries. If you want to celebrate the start of the season with some delicious berries, this treat is the one to bake!

Easy Strawberry Ricotta Cake | Bake to the roots

When it comes to cakes and stuff like that, there’s no need to make life more complicated than necessary. All those cakes with fondant and other lavish decorations are great, sure, but they require a significant investment of time and effort… and then the guests normally devour that cake in the blink of an eye. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but basically, that’s how it always turns out. As soon as a cake like that hits the table and gets cut into, the pretty decorations are history.

A simple sponge cake like this ricotta cake is quick to make and still looks great on the table. And of course, it tastes spectacular too. Thanks to the ricotta, the cake is nice and moist. Well… and the strawberries add a lot of flavor. The combination makes this cake simply delicious!

Of course, beautiful, fresh, and ripe strawberries are essential for great flavors. The earliest strawberries available each year aren’t always quite as aromatic and sweet – it’s true, I didn’t make the rules. When strawberries in Germany aren’t yet ripe enough for harvest, they’re often imported from Spain or other warm regions of Europe. Even though the strawberries from there aren’t bad in general, of course – the early-harvested ones typically haven’t had enough time to develop proper flavors. Long transport routes certainly don’t help matters either…

So always test the strawberries first to see if the ones you’ve just bought are nice and sweet. A little strawberry snacking never hurts anyone, right? I mean after you’ve bought the strawberries, not before at the store or market stall. Unless, of course, the vendor gives you a sample to try.

Anyway. Making the cake is incredibly simple. The base is a basic sponge cake batter with a bit of ricotta added. Adding the cheese makes the cake nice and moist and helps it not dry out as quickly – just in case the cake has to sit out in the open for a while. Then you simply top the batter with halved strawberries, and after a short time in the oven, you’ve got something delicious to snack on.

Instead of strawberries, you could of course use other fruits or berries here. For example, we’ve already tried the cake with fresh raspberries, and it worked perfectly. I can also imagine the cake working well with other types of berries or thinly sliced apples. It’s important, though, that the topping you use softens and cooks through properly within the intended baking time. That should be the case with most types of fruit…

Damson Plum Ricotta Cake | Bake to the roots — Click on the picture to get the recipe –

Ricotta Cherry Cake | Bake to the roots — Click on the picture to get the recipe –

Anyone who knows me can probably imagine that we’ve already got several ricotta cake recipes on the blog. The simple cake batter is a great base for many cakes. Our Damson Plum Ricotta Cake is an excellent example. Really nice and moist and extremely delicious. Definitely a great option for late summer or fall.

For summer, I recommend our Easy-Peasy Ricotta Cherry Cake. As I mentioned before, you can use many berries and fruits for a cake like that – and cherries undoubtedly belong on that list. A truly delicious, yet extremely simple cake that tastes absolutely wonderful with a little whipped cream!

INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS

For the cake batter:
3.5 oz. (100g) butter
3/4 cup (150g) sugar (fine)*
3 medium eggs
8.8 oz. (250g) ricotta
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
1/2 organic lemon, zest & juice
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour*
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

For the topping:
5.3 oz. (150g) strawberries, halved
some coarse sugar for sprinkling
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

For the dough:
100g soft butter
150g sugar (fine)*
3 eggs (L)
250g ricotta
1 tsp vanilla extract*
1/2 organic lemon, zest & juice
260g flour (Type 405)*
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

For the topping:
150g strawberries, halved
some coarse sugar for sprinkling
some powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 23cm baking tin with a loose bottom* with baking parchment and grease lightly. Wash and dry the strawberries, remove the green parts and cut them in half. Set aside.

2. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Next, add the ricotta, vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice, and mix until very well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the large bowl and fold them in with a rubber spatula* – do not overmix.

3. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking tin and distribute it evenly, smoothly out the top. Add the halved strawberries on top and sprinkle everything with some coarse sugar. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutesor until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool down completely on a wire rack. When cooled, dust with some confectioners’ sugar (optional). Serve with whipped cream or vanilla custard.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Line a 23cm baking pan with a lifting base* with baking paper and lightly grease it. Wash the strawberries, dry them, remove the greens and then cut them in half. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in well. Add the ricotta, vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice and stir in well. Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add to the large bowl and fold in with a rubber spatula* – you shouldn’t stir much here.

3. Pour the dough into the prepared form and smooth it out. Distribute the halved strawberries evenly over the dough and then sprinkle with a little coarse sugar. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes. Use a wooden skewer to test whether the dough is still sticking and only remove the cake when it comes out clean. Remove the finished cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Before serving, dust with a little powdered sugar (optional) and then serve with whipped cream or vanilla sauce – whatever you like.

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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.