I’m known for making lemon ricotta cookies, but today I’m sharing Lemon Ricotta Bread. You can also call it Lemon Ricotta Cake, or Pound Cake, or just “Lemon Ricotta Loaf”. Anyway you slice it (heh heh) it’s the same deliciously tasty result! It’s good for dessert or with some morning coffee.
The Lemon Ricotta bread is a bit firmer than the lemon ricotta cookies. It’s extremely moist and soft in the middle with a firmer crunchy outside – the best of both worlds! If you find the lemon ricotta cookies to be too soft (or you don’t like soft cookies in general), then this cake/loaf/bread has the same flavor but with a different texture.
Skip to the recipe here!
I received a coupon for NestFresh eggs to prepare my recipe with. I also highly recommend Meyer Lemons if you can find them. If you can’t, fresh lemon juice is still the best option for the best flavor – and you need the zest anyway. But Meyer Lemons add that little something something to really enhance the flavor. My parents have a meyer lemon tree and it’s currently BURSTING with lemons so I’ll be making a lot of lemon related things this holiday season!
Check out how bright and orange-y yellow the yolk is on the NestFresh eggs! Holy cow! They seem so much brighter and like little golden suns. These eggs are great for baking or any other dish. I’ve been making a ton of breakfast tacos – it’s my new go-to breakfast item.
The NestFresh eggs were a little hard to find in Mira Mesa since the only place that carried them in my neighborhood (Vons) were out of them. Luckily Jake scouted it out and found them at his local Vons but they are also available at Albertson’s and Ralph’s and some speciality grocery stores. Check the NestFresh website on where to get these eggs. Despite the eggs being a little difficult to find, I do really enjoy the flavor and freshness of these eggs.
Here’s a photo of the finished lemon ricotta bread with the shiny glaze on top. I like to poke holes into the top and then spread the glaze on so it can seep into the bread a little bit. I don’t add a ton of glaze though because I don’t want it to be super sweet.
I also add salt to the glaze to balance out the sweetness. Popcorn salt is a great way to cut down on the sweetness factor if you have it, but a pinch of kosher salt will do as well.
My favorite part of the lemon ricotta bread is the crust! The glaze helps to harden up the edges and create this wonderful crunchy crust. I actually brought this to a Friendsgiving/Bunco Night that Alyssa invited me to and Alyssa told me she prefers the bread to the cookies, which I didn’t know! I mostly made the bread because I didn’t feel like making cookies, which involve a lot more work on my part.
I had a piece this morning with my coffee and it’s a great breakfast treat. It doubles as dessert and breakfast and makes great gifts, too. I’m pretty sure I’ll be making mini loaves for Christmas this year!
Here’s the recipe:
Lemon Ricotta Bread
Ingredients
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 – 15oz container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 3 lemons
3 tablespoons lemon juice
For the glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan generously with butter. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine and set aside. Using a mixer, combine the butter and granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add ricotta cheese and mix for another 2 minutes. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time until mixture is combined. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Add dry ingredients a small amount at a time until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
Add batter to your prepared buttered pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean with no runny batter – about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Since oven times can vary, I suggest you initially check on your bread at the one hour mark. Add 10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.
Mix together powdered sugar, salt, and lemon juice to make the glaze. Poke holes into the loaf with a butter knife and pour glaze on top while still warm.
Disclaimer: I receive a complimentary coupon for NestFresh eggs. All content, photos, and opinions are my own and I was not further compensated for this post.
