Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
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Adapted from Melissa Weller, this chocolate chip ricotta cake has a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture.
Adapted from A Good Bake by Melissa Weller and Carolynn Carreno, this chocolate chip ricotta cake is easily one of the best cakes I have ever made — and I have baked a lot of cakes in my day. Weller, a master baker and French Culinary Institute graduate, developed the cake for Sadelle’s, a brunch mecca in Soho, New York City. The addition of ricotta cheese gives the cake a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture. The cake is also jam-packed with mini chocolate chips, making it a crowdpleaser for all ages.
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk well and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the the butter and sugar.
Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Beat in the vanilla (don’t worry if the batter looks curdled).
Add the ricotta cheese.
Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients in one addition.
Mix on low speed until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate chips.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips into the batter until they are evenly dispersed, making sure to scrape the very bottom of the bowl. (You’ll notice that the ricotta cheese gives the batter a slightly grainy texture.)
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to smooth and level out the top.
Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, until completely set and golden brown on top. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, if necessary, then remove the ring of the springform pan.
Let the cake cool completely on the rack before cutting. Enjoy!
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Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
Adapted from Melissa Weller, this chocolate chip ricotta cake has a rich flavor and an impossibly moist texture.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur), spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups whole milk ricotta cheese, preferably Galbani brand
- 1¼ cups mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (see note) with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla (don't worry if the batter looks curdled). Add the ricotta cheese and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients in one addition. Mix on low speed until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips into the batter until they are evenly dispersed, making sure to scrape the very bottom of the bowl. (You'll notice that the ricotta cheese gives the batter a slightly grainy texture.)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to smooth and level out the top. Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, until completely set and golden brown on top. (If the top starts to get too dark towards the end, cover the pan loosely with foil.) Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, if necessary, then remove the ring of the springform pan. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before cutting.
- Note: If you don't have a springform pan, a 9-inch square pan works well (a 9-inch round pan, however, is too small). If you'd like to be able to remove the cake from the square pan, you can line the pan with a parchment sling.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months; after the cake is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Calories: 460
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I have a habit of trying new recipes for potlucks and meals with friends, and I always look at your recipes first when I’m looking for ideas. I’ve never been disappointed, and my friends always want the recipes! I love the texture and flavor of this cake but am probably in the minority in feeling that the chocolate chips kind of overpowered that rich flavor of the cake. I’m thinking of making it with diced apple rather than chocolate chips, and maybe a little bit of cinnamon. Jenn, what do you think? Do I need to compensate for the moisture of the apple bits somehow?
Hi Kat, If you want to make a cake with apples, I highly recommend this one instead. It’s also got a moist, buttery texture. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hi.
I used the 228 grams of flour and mine also cracked on the top. I also used King Arthur. The only thing I didn’t do is spoon it into a cup and level off, I weighed it into a bowl. Would that have made it crack? Bake and taste was rock solid and has become a family favorite! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, Glad you like this! Regarding the crack, it sounds like you did everything right as weighing the flour will give you the best results. Because you know you used the right amount of flour, it may be that your oven runs a little hot. This causes the exterior of the cake to bake faster than the interior and can create those cracks. You may want to check your oven temp for accuracy. Here’s some guidance on how to do it.
Thanks Jenn.
I used the Breville Smart Oven Air (but not on convection) thus it wasn’t a full sized oven. I am an altitude of 2800-2900 feet which I believe is still under the requirement for high altitude directions so I think I am good there (apologies for not mentioning that on the first go). I have been asked to make this cake for Tuesday so I will make it in my regular oven, checking the temp before I put the cake in and let you know if any issues surfaced. LOVE this recipe.
Hi Jenn,
Made it again today. Oven temp is spot on. Weighed everything as I did the first time. Even dropped the temp by 5 degrees and it baked 45 min. This was made in a smaller convection oven w/out the convection being on within a two part oven. I have a photo I can post somewhere if you like. Either way, a little powdered sugar on top will hide the crack. Just curious if I should drop the temp by 25 for a smaller oven. Thanks!
Hi Ishkarah, I’d love to see a pic — can you send it to jennifer@onceuponachef.com?
This cake is incredible. I even made it with the help of my 4 year old and it still came out beautifully! We all agreed its the best cake we’ve ever eaten, its incredibly moist and also family friendly! My 4 kids liked that it tastes like a cake version of a chocolate chip cookie and the adults liked how rich and delicious it is. I plan on bringing it to future potlucks, gifting it with the lasagnas I make for my friends, and making it for our spaghetti dinner nights at home. So easy and the results are outrageous. Jenn, your recipes make it look like I’m a great baker and home cook. Thank you!
If anyone is wondering how moist this cake is, I made it yesterday and someone pulled it out of the oven before it was done and then ate a slice. I came home 5 hours later to a cold, half-cooked cake, so I put it back in the oven (even with that huge slice missing) because I was hoping to save the cake. It actually worked. I cooked it another 25 minutes and it was still moist and delicious ( I didn’t think to cover it with foil so I had to slice off the edges because they were just too brown). But seriously, it was still so delicious. This recipe is fast, easy, and fool-proof.
I made this cake today exactly as written with the 1 3/4 cup King Arthur flour. My cake looked exactly like the picture when taken out of the oven, it did take the full 65 minutes to cook. I tested with a long pick and it came out clean. But the center sunk as it cooled. I can’t figure this out. Maybe next time I will make it in a bundt pan since that has a hole in the center anyway! One question though, when you bake cakes do you use a regular oven or convection? I have both and the owners manual says to use either for cakes but to turn the temperature down 25 degrees from original recipe when using the convection. Thanks.
Hi Tammy, I’m sorry you had a bit of a problem with this! It sounds like you did everything right but if it sunk in the middle, it sounds like it was a touch underbaked. And I always develop and publish my recipes using the regular setting on my oven (because many people don’t have convection settings on their ovens), so I’d go with the regular/non-fan setting.
Hi Jenn, I am about to make this cake. I live in Australia and just wanted to check whether I use bread flour as we can’t purchase King Arthur flour? Plus do I use fresh ricotta? Many thanks.
Hi Mary-Ann, Even if you don’t have King Arthur flour, I’d stick to all-purpose flour. And I always use store-bought ricotta for this, but I’m sure it would work with fresh. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I made this today and it was excellent and very well received. I had to reduce the temperature as I was using a Breville Smart Oven Air Pro and so it was a smaller oven space. I reduced it by 10 degrees and covered it the last 10 minutes. Also, I used the 10″ Kuhn Rikon Push up pan instead of a springform. I will definitely make this again (and thanks for having metric option).
I made this cake for our Christmas Eve gathering and everyone loved it! As promised, the cake was moist and delicious. We Aldo enjoyed it the next day with morning coffee – so yummy! Thanks Jen for giving me another great recipe. Love your website and your book! Happy New Year!
This cake was amazing! I made it for a pot luck and everyone loved it! I only had regular chocolate chips which worked fine. I added 2 heaping tablespoons flour because I live at 6500 feet. Turned out perfect and didn’t fall. Whew!
Hi Jenn. I live in France, where it is very hard to find chocolate chips, let alone mini. Do you think if I just chop a dark chocolate bar, that will be ok? Also, I want to make this for the next day. Shouldn’t I put it in the fridge, if it has cheese in it? Wondering if it is more like a cheesecake… Merci, Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, it’s fine to chop a dark chocolate bar into small pieces. And it’s not necessary to refrigerate the cake; it’s definitely more of a cake than a cheesecake. Hope that helps, and that you enjoy!
I just made this cake and I had to cook it for almost 90 mins to get the center cooked and yes my top cracked a little but thats not a big deal to me. Jen why did it take almost 90 minutes to bake this cake?
Hi Grace, Did you happen to print the recipe right after I sent out the newsletter with it? If so, based on feedback like yours from other readers, I added a few more tablespoons of flour. If you try it again, I’d refer to the updated version.
Hi Jenn
Is the one that’s posted right now the updated version?
Yep!