Ricotta Strawberry Lemon Cake

This ricotta strawberry lemon cake is made from scratch with fluffy ricotta lemon cake, fresh strawberries, and strawberry buttercream. Soft, bright, and full of summery flavor, this cake is perfect for a birthday party, BBQ, dinner party, or any get-together where you need dessert for a crowd!

Every year, I make my mama something special for Mother’s Day and this cake was this year’s contender. Much like me, she’s a berry and citrus girl when it comes to desserts, so this was an easy one. My sour cream lemon pound cake with blackberry glaze and my blueberry almond skillet cake were both contenders. But, the strawberries have been unreal this year so I knew I had to cake-ify them!

Since May, I have made this cake no less than three times. It’s dumb good, absolutely everything you could possibly want out of a summer dessert. The combo of strawberry and lemon is true life the best.

Plus, the ricotta adds tang and richness and makes this cake unbelievably soft. I know turning on the oven in the summer is a drag but this time, it’s worth it.

Strawberry + lemon forever

This cake is a total showstopper. An impressive, yet simple, summery dessert. It’s based on my favorite recipe from pastry school and the buttercream is totally unreal. It’s one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever eaten if I do say so myself! Here’s just a few highlights about this recipe.

• It’s the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and bright thanks to the lemon zest.
• This layer cake looks impressive but it’s honestly easy AF to make.
• The cake is dense enough that it can be stacked into layers while still being light and fluffy!
• You can get up to 12 servings out of this cake so it’s great for parties and holidays.
• We’re going with the naked frosting style because, lazy.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Sugar – to add a bit of sweetness to the cake. Regular granulated is what I use.
• Lemon zest – you’ll need quite a few lemons, because we’re adding a hefty amount of zest to the batter. This will give us that bright lemon flavor without extract!
• Flour – this will give the cake structure. All-purpose is great for this recipe!
• Baking powder – to make our cake nice and fluffy.
• Kosher salt – to balance the sweetness in the cake. I use Morton’s Kosher salt.
• Unsalted butter – not only does butter add moisture but it also adds so much flavor to the cake. We’ll also use it as the base of our buttercream.
• Eggs – to help add structure and texture to the cake. They also make the cake nice and tender!
• Vanilla extract – I rarely make baked goods without vanilla extract. It adds such a lovely depth!
• Ricotta – this will add a tangy richness to the cake! You can also use sour cream if you prefer.
• Neutral oil – to add moisture. I use vegetable or canola oil.
• Whole milk – a splash of whole milk will loosen the batter, making the cake light and fluffy.
• Powdered sugar – this will sweeten the frosting and make it nice and smooth.
• Freeze dried strawberries – we’ll use these in the frosting for intense strawberry flavor. You can find these in the dried fruit section at the grocery store, at Target, or at Trader Joe’s!
• Fresh strawberries – layered in-between the cake, strawberries add a nice pop of freshness!

The secret to strawberry buttercream

I’ve gone through my fair share of bad strawberry buttercreams. Fresh strawberry purées (too runny). Strawberry jam (weird pectin taste?). Strawberry extract (tasted like a Jolly Rancher but not in a good way).

The real secret though? Say it with me: freeze dried strawberries. Trust me, it’s the only way! Once you crush those freeze dried strawberries into a powder, it mixes in just like regular old powdered sugar but with an uber concentrated, in-your-face strawberry flavor. It’s the best.

Bake this cake

Lemon ricotta cake

1. Start by combining the lemon zest and sugar in a large bowl. Rub the ingredients between your finger tips for about 1 minute until it smells like citrus heaven.
2. Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it off to the side for a bit.
3. Add the butter to the lemon sugar and beat until it’s all light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Then, mix in the vanilla extract, ricotta, and neutral oil.
4. Once that’s whipped up nicely, mix in the flour mixture and milk in two batches. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to get any un-mixed bits.

Don’t over-mix the cake batter or the cakes will come out dry and dense! Stir just until there are no more streaks of flour.

5. Grease three 6-inch cake pans. Then, divide the batter between the cake pans and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 18-21 minutes, just until an inserted toothpick has a few moist crumbs.
6. Once the cakes are baked, let them cool completely.

Strawberry buttercream

1. While the cakes bake, crush the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle until you have a fine powder. Sift the mixture to remove any big lumps.
2. Then, in a large bowl, beat the butter and half of the powdered sugar until it’s nice and fluffy. Add the strawberry powder and the rest of the powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
3. Then, add some vanilla, milk, and a pinch of salt. Whip until it’s very fluffy, about 3-4 minutes!

Assemble the cake

1. Now for the fun part. Spread a layer of buttercream on one of the cake layers. Add a layer of sliced strawberries.
2. Then, pipe a dam of buttercream on the edge of the cake layer to keep the strawberries from poking out!
3. Top with another layer of cake and repeat the above steps. Top the third layer with some buttercream and smooth it out to make it look pretty.
4. Finish by smoothing the frosting on the sides and decorating as desired. Enjoy!

To keep the strawberries from seeping into the cake, make sure to seal the cakes with a layer of buttercream! To do this, just spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake layer before adding the strawberries.

Storing & freezing cake

Since this cake has fresh strawberries, you’ll have to store it in the refrigerator. Place the cake in an airtight container or press plastic wrap against the cake to protect it from the fridge. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To freeze the cake layers, wrap them up in plastic wrap or parchment paper and store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month. I do not recommend freezing the cake whole because the texture will get funky once the strawberries defrost!

Frosting a naked cake

I love a naked cake because they’re super easy and chill. And, since they’re supposed to be a little rustic, it’s honestly really hard to mess them up. Here’s how I do it to keep everything simple and stress-free!

1. Place one cake layer on a turntable or plate that you can easily spin around. Then, pipe a thick layer of frosting in-between each cake layer, finishing with the third layer. The buttercream should be overlapping the sides of the cake.
2. Next, place the flat edge of a bench scraper or offset spatula parallel against the cake. Spin the turntable or plate as you gently press the bench scraper or offset spatula against the cake, smoothing out the frosting.
3. Use a piping bag or offset spatula to fill any gaps in the frosting. Continue smoothing out the frosting and filling in gaps as necessary. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top or add swirls. Decorate as desired.

If you’re worried about crumbs, freeze the cake for about 30 minutes before frosting to prevent the buttercream from getting crumbs in it. I personally don’t worry about it but if you want a cleaner cake, this is the way!

Decoration ideas

Here are just a few fun ways to decorate this cake.

• Top with whole or sliced strawberries and lemon slices. Sliced strawberries will leak a bit, so add them right before serving.
• Pipe swirls of frosting around the top with a piping bag and pretty frosting tips.
• Add sprinkles, crushed freeze dried strawberries, or candies to the top.
• Decorate the top of the cake with edible flowers.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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Originally posted June 20, 2022.