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This blueberry lemon ricotta olive oil cake is the perfect snack cake. It’s lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar and great for breakfast or dessert!
Get ready to have a new favorite cake!
Anything with blueberries is a hit in my book, especially my baked blueberry oatmeal. But when I need a blueberry cake recipe, this is my go-to.
This blueberry lemon ricotta olive oil cake is the perfect summertime cake for any party or barbecue.
Big blueberries bursting with sweetness, fresh lemon, and savory olive oil, all topped with powdered sugar or a dollop of fresh whipped cream, it’s the perfect dessert.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve been asked to make this for friends and family. It’s that good!
You’re going to love this blueberry lemon ricotta olive oil cake!
Oh no berries on hand? Try this lemon olive oil cake!
Ingredients for blueberry lemon ricotta olive oil cake
- Whole milk ricotta – This Italian whey cheese is super smooth and creamy. It’s mild in flavor but will give our cake moisture.
- Olive oil – Use your favorite, high-quality extra virgin olive oil. It is our fat and will add moisture to our cake.
- Sugar – This gives our cake its sweetness. I use white sugar here, but feel free to use light brown sugar.
- Lemons – The burst of citrus is the perfect freshness in this cake.
- All-purpose flour – a simple basic baking ingredient that helps hold the cake together.
- Baking powder and baking soda – These help the cake stay fluffy and light.
- Blueberries – A burst of sweetness that permeates the cake.
Why use olive oil?
This cake uses olive oil for a couple of reasons.
The earthy, savory flavors of olive oil are a perfect pair for flavors like blueberry and lemon.
Also, olive oil has many health benefits.
Extra virgin olive oil has a high level of antioxidants, and vitamin E.
It also has less bad cholesterol than butter and cuts back on the number of saturated fats.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes! You can use frozen blueberries in place of fresh ones in this blueberry lemon ricotta olive oil cake.
Frozen berries are packaged at the peak of freshness, so they will always be ripe.
Their bright purple color may bleed into the cake a little bit more than fresh blueberries would.
Toppings
Oh boy, the topping possibilities are endless!
I have topped this with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but you could top this cake with a dollop of your favorite homemade or store-bought whipped cream.
Another great accompaniment is ice cream! Or both!
Storage and leftovers
Keep this cake covered in a cool, dry place, for up to 3 days, if it lasts that long!
More blueberry recipes
- Want more fruit? Try my Blueberry Peach Cast Iron Crisp
- Craving something refreshing? Try my Blueberry Mojito
- Love pie? Try my Easy Blueberry Hand Pies
- Looking for more cakes? Try my Blueberry Fritter Cake
Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, zested
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl add ricotta, granulated sugar, olive oil, and lemon zest.
- Stir to combine and mix in eggs, one at a time.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda.
- Add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture and stir just until combined.
- Add in blueberries and gently fold in making sure to not break them.
- Add the cake batter to your prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake is fully cooked and lightly browned on top.
- Let the cake cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! I substituted an orange fresh off my grandmother’s tree for the lemon, and then used the orange juice with powdered sugar to top it off with a glaze. The cake didn’t last 24 hours in our house and it was such a beautiful way to introduce my family to olive oil cake. Thank you for such a great recipe!
This cake came out AMAZING! 5/5 stars. YUM.
Made this cake yesterday- it’s soo delicious. Thanks for sharing!
I made this today because I had some ricotta I needed to use up and wanted to make an Easter dessert. It’s PERFECT. I made a little lemon glaze and topped minewith toasted almonds.
This beats pancakes by a long shot! I made this one morning to use up ricotta and soon regretted that I didn’t have more ricotta “to use up”! I didn’t have lemons, so added 10 drops of essential oil of lemon and also added a splash of vanilla extract. I used 1cup of freshly milled flour and 1/4 each of almond flour and gluten free. It was filling/nourishing and just amazing. Serve with a dab of grass-fed butter and real maple syrup…yummy! It lasted for max 15 min 😉
@Ann, Just so you know, lemon essential oil is NOT safe to ingest, and neither are any other essential oils.
This blueberry/lemon/ricotta cake is sooo nice.thankyou for sharing this recipe I’m not usually a fan of olive oil cake but this cake turned out really well. Hubby loves itIts on the list to make for Christmas !
Tried this recipe today. The cake turned out absolutely delicious and was loved by the whole family. I loved that the cake was not overly sweet.
Delicious! I only had low fat ricotta so I drained it overnight with a paper towel lined sieve. I used 1/2 the sugar. I always cut sugar in 1/2when I bake & never have a problem. I doubled the lemon zest. Used frozen blueberries without defrosting them. Was perfect!
This was delicious! I reduced the sugar and used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup AP. Still very moist and flavorful. Great recipe! My kids loved it too.
Great cake… I used gluten free flour and added 1/4 cup of almond milk and it turned out super moist. Yummy