The ricotta and cocoa cake is a breakfast dessert that is soft and quick to make. It’s very simple to prepare with a few ingredients, just one bowl and two electric beaters, and the ricotta and cocoa cake is ready to be baked.
This dessert will amaze you with its goodness, you will taste all the cocoa flavor and its softness will make you want to cut another slice! It reminds me a lot, for its such genuine taste, of grandma’s ricotta and cocoa cake, which accompanied my childhood. I preferred to use few aromas because my intention was precisely to prepare a cake with “chocolaty” scents and flavors, but if you prefer, you can also enrich the cake with orange or lemon peel.
Furthermore, if you like cocoa desserts, do not miss the recipes for Nigella’s quick cocoa muffins, the simple cocoa cake without butter and the cocoa cake without butter and eggs… an unmissable treat is the very soft cocoa and hazelnut cake and the delicious ecstasy cake with Nutella(my absolute favorite!).
This bundt cake is one of those desserts I often make when I’m craving something sweet or when my little girls ask for something tasty to take to school for a snack, and since it’s really quick to prepare… and it’s so simple that sometimes I even let my daughters help with the preparation!
Well, now let’s move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare this delicious ricotta and cocoa cake, but first, I’ll leave you with some links to delicious and simple bundt cakes to prepare, which you may find useful! Oh, if you want to try a ricotta dessert in a white version, I recommend this very soft ricotta cake.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 223.33 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 33.46 (g) of which sugars 18.40 (g)
- Proteins 6.02 (g)
- Fat 8.67 (g) of which saturated 5.39 (g)of which unsaturated 3.14 (g)
- Fibers 1.34 (g)
- Sodium 34.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 77 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to Prepare the Ricotta and Cocoa Cake
These are the ingredients to prepare the ricotta and cocoa cake. All ingredients must be at room temperature, so remember to take them out of the fridge in time.
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or cake flour)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 8.8 oz cow's milk ricotta (well-drained)
- 3 eggs
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 packet vanillin (optional)
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools to Prepare the Ricotta and Cocoa Cake
- Bundt Cake Pan 9-10 inches
- Mixer electric
- Bowl
Steps to Prepare the Ricotta and Cocoa Cake
Let’s see together how to prepare the ricotta and cocoa cake.
Put the butter in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave for a few seconds on medium power. Let it cool and set aside.
In a larger bowl, place the sugar and eggs at room temperature and beat them with electric beaters for about 5 minutes, until they become light and fluffy.
Then, add the ricotta by spoonfuls and slowly (being careful not to deflate the mixture) and, finally, also the tablespoon of milk.
Add the dry ingredients, which you have previously sifted: first the flour and the cocoa, then the vanillin (if you choose to add it or other aromas, like orange or lemon peel). Mix the batter for a few seconds, just enough to have a homogeneous mixture. Finally, add the sifted baking powder and the melted and cooled butter.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and, in the meantime, butter and flour a 9-10 inch bundt cake pan, pour the batter into it and level the surface with a spoon or spatula.
Bake for about 35 minutes. The cooking time is subjective, always adjust according to your oven and always do the toothpick test before removing the cake from the oven.
Let your ricotta and cocoa cake cool, then unmold it, place it on a serving plate, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar before serving.
Storage:
– The ricotta and cocoa cake keeps well for 3-4 days, provided it is well covered with cling film or an aluminum foil.
– Alternatively, you can also portion it and freeze it in freezer bags. You just need to defrost your portion for breakfast the night before or you can defrost it at the moment by putting it in the microwave for a few seconds.
FAQ
Can I use lactose-free ricotta and butter for this recipe?
Sure, those who are lactose intolerant can use lactose-free products. The result will be exactly the same.
Can I replace the butter with oil?
Yes, the butter can be replaced with a mild seed oil, such as corn or sunflower oil. Since the recipe uses melted butter, you should use the same amount, that is 5 tbsp. I would avoid using olive oil, as it would have a less delicate taste than seed oil.
What if I don’t have a bundt cake pan?
You can also use a cake pan more or less the same size, a medium-sized loaf pan, or you can even make muffins. In the latter case, however, you will need to decrease the baking time, approximately 20 minutes.
