Do you remember how we like to make a list each summer of new desserts to try? If you would like a little reminder you can check out this earlier post. We have done it for at least 3 summers in a row now and Ricotta Orange Pound Cake was from that very first summer.
The girls and I had a blast making it back in 2014. We take our dessert making very seriously! 
This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe I got out of Food & Wine magazine. After making it a couple of times I realized I also have it in the one Giada cookbook I own, Giada’s Kitchen New Italian Favorites. It was like déjà vu from the Lemon Ricotta Cookies. I already owned the cookbook with this great recipe but I didn’t attempt to make it until I had heard of it from another source. AND, these two particular recipes are on the same page! Apparently, I’ll never learn.
Anyway, this is one of our favorite desserts ever! It is not too sweet and not too citrusy. Just the perfect balance of everything. It became an instant classic in our house and is now a Christmas tradition. Check it out as part of our dessert table from last year. I hadn’t yet dusted the top with powdered sugar but you get the idea.
You can make it in one round cake pan or in a loaf pan. For gifts, I make it in mini loaf pans.
If you want Giada’s exact recipe click here. I do make a few small changes. The first few times I made it I substituted Grand Marnier for Amaretto. Now, I leave out the alcohol all together. I just don’t think it needs it. I also skip the strawberries in Prosecco. I’m not saying they wouldn’t be good but I don’t particularly care for Prosecco and again, I like the cake just as it is. If anything, I think it would be great with some vanilla ice cream on the side and/or just plain sliced strawberries.
Give this a try, it might become a new family tradition for you too!
Ricotta Orange Pound Cake
Ingredients:
1 ½ c Cake Flour
2 ½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 ½ c Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 ½ c Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Orange Zest (about ½ an orange)
Powdered Sugar (for dusting)
Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 9″ round cake pan
In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta, butter and sugar until smooth.
Beat in the eggs one at a time
Beat in the vanilla
Stir in the orange zest with a spatula
Stir in the dry ingredients in 3 batches just until incorporated (you can use a beater for this step but I find the orange zest gets stuck in my beaters and I want it to stay in the cake).
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
Cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and leave on rack until completely cooled.
Serve on a pretty cake platter and dust with Powdered Sugar.
If I am making these as a gift I will use paper loaf pans. Let cool completely in the loaf pan, wrap in plastic wrap and put a sticker on it.
Mangia! Mangia!
Ricotta Orange Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c Cake Flour
- 2 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ c Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ c Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Orange Zest about ½ an orange
- Powdered Sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9″ round cake pan
- In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta, butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the orange zest with a spatula.
- Stir in the dry ingredients in 3 batches just until incorporated (you can use a beater for this step but I find the orange zest gets stuck in my beaters and I want it to stay in the cake).
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and leave on rack until completely cooled. Serve on a pretty cake platter and dust with Powdered Sugar.
Yum – will try this for sure.
I think you will be very happy you did!
Do you grease the paper loaf pans before pouring the mixture in? Thanks
The paper loaf pans I have do not need to be greased. If you are worried you could lightly spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks!