Blueberry Ricotta Cake with Crumb Topping

This Italian inspired blueberry ricotta cake is moist and tender with a buttery crumb topping.  It’s simple to make and bursting with blueberries. Whether you call it dessert, a breakfast cake or a coffee cake, it’s sure to jump to the top of your favorites.

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As a busy mama who has been baking cakes for a few decades, simple one layer cakes are my jam!  Much like my raspberry almond cake and ricotta bundt cake, this blueberry and ricotta cake is elegant enough for a holiday dinner dessert or a Mother’s Day brunch while also being simple enough for a weekday cake.

Blueberries are a well loved addition to cookies, frosting and scones and I know you are going to love them in this cake too.

My testers loved the moisture and soft crumb that the ricotta brings to the cake. And the sweet crumble topping means no glaze or icing is needed.

Tester Jenny said, "OMG this blueberry cake is amazing"!

🫐 why you should make this ricotta blueberry cake recipe

• The cake is quick and simple to make.
• The crumb is incredibly moist and tender and who can resist a crumb topping?
• Decorating is a breeze, just dust a little confectioners’ sugar over the top.
• The blueberry ricotta cake is perfect for a simple dessert. It is also excellent with a cup of coffee {I am always going to be a fan of cake for breakfast}.

💭 what is ricotta cheese?

Ricotta is a soft Italian cheese made with the leftover whey from milk after making other cheeses.  It has a slightly sweet taste and can be used in savory dishes like lasagna or used in baking, where it adds richness and moisture, like in this cannoli cake. 

🛒 ingredients and substitutions

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

• All-purpose flour ~ provides the structure. If you want to use cake flour, omit the cornstarch. I have a reader who tested this cake with a 1-to-1 gluten free flour and had great results!
• Cornstarch ~ helps to create the tender and moist crumb texture. Do not use if substituting cake flour.
• Baking powder ~ provides some lift to the cake.
• Kosher salt ~ helps to balance all the flavors.
• Unsalted butter ~ provides fla​​vor, moisture and structure. You want this at room temperature. I like my butter to be on the softer side of room temperature for cakes so I pull it out at least two hours prior to baking. If you only have salted butter, omit the kosher salt.
• Granulated sugar ~ provides sweetness and structure.
• Ricotta cheese ~ use whole milk ricotta at room temperature. Brings moisture and tenderness to the ricotta and blueberry cake.
• Eggs ~ three large eggs are needed. Bring them to room temperature.
• Vanilla ~ pure vanilla extract adds flavor.
• Blueberries ~ I only tested this cake with frozen blueberries because I want you to be able to make it at any time of the year, but fresh blueberries should also work fine.

🥣 how to make this easy italian inspired cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack to the center of the oven.  Prepare one 9-inch round baking pan; butter the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter again and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, kosher salt and granulated sugar. Scrape the bowl and add the ricotta and beat another 2 minutes on medium.  The mixture may look a little curdled at this point, but don’t let it worry you!

Scrape up and down the bowl and beat in the eggs on medium-low, one at a time, scraping up and down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla with the third egg. Again, the mixture may look very curdled at this point.

Scrape up and down the bowl and add the cornstarch and baking powder and mix on low until incorporated.  Then add all but a tablespoon or two of the flour and mix on low until just a few streaks of flour remain, scrape the bowl again and mix the batter on medium for 30 seconds. The batter is quite thick.

Toss the remaining flour with the frozen blueberries and then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking prepare the crumb topping. Melt the unsalted butter, then add the granulated sugar and all-purpose flour and mix until a clumpy mixture forms.

When the 30 minutes is up, pull out the oven rack and quickly add the crumb topping to the top of the cake batter and continue baking until the edges begin to brown and pull away from the pan and a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. If you'd like to remove the cake from the pan once it is cool, run a knife or off-set spatula between the cake and the edge of the pan to loosen it.

Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.

💬 frequently asked questions

can I use fresh blueberries?

Yes, I would use the same amount {1 ½ cups}, but they will weigh a little more, about 230g.

does blueberry ricotta cake need to be refrigerated?

This blueberry ricotta cake can sit at room temperature for up to one day, but I would store it tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?

I did not test this, but it should work if you can’t get your hands on ricotta cheese.  I would blend the cottage cheese to make it a softer and more similar texture to ricotta.  If you try this, please let me know how it goes!

👩🏻‍🍳 tips for the best blueberry cake

• Use a kitchen scale to ensure that you are using the accurate amounts of the ingredients. In my opinion, this is the number one reason why baked goods fail.
• Use room temperature ingredients, they blend together better. I usually pull my butter out at least two hours before baking a cake. For this recipe you'll also want to pull out the eggs and ricotta cheese ahead too.
• If the ricotta has a lot of water, you can drain most of it off.  If it’s just a little water after coming to room temperature, just stir it back into the ricotta.
• Be careful not to over mix the batter. Over mixing cake batter can make for a dense and chewy cake; we want soft and fluffy! Over mixing can also cause a cake to sink in the middle due to too much air trapped in the batter.
• Over mixing the blueberries into the batter can also cause the batter to turn blue.

🫙 how to store

This blueberry ricotta cake can be kept at room temperature for up to one day.  I would store it tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

You can freeze the cake for up to 2 months. You can either wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer in plastic wrap. Or cut the cake into individual slices; then wrap each slice tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap.

This Italian inspired cake tastes best at room temperature.

Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Moist Blueberry Ricotta Cake with Crumb Topping. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

🍰 more easy cakes for with coffee

• Strawberry Crumb Cake
• Orange Cranberry Cake
• Blueberry Coffee Cake

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

📖 recipe

Blueberry Ricotta Cake with Crumb Topping

recipe created and tested by:

Tasia

This Italian inspired blueberry ricotta cake is moist and tender with a buttery crumb topping.  It’s simple to make and bursting with blueberries. 

5 from 3 votes

I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.

Please note

When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams in parenthesis DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.

Print Recipe rate this recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Bake Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Cakes and Cupcakes

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12 slices

Calories 358 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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Blueberry ricotta cake

• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (170g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk ricotta room temperature (220g)
• ▢ 3 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch* (24g)
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour* (167g)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries (210**g)

crumb topping

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (28g)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (38g)
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour 31g

Instructions

 

• For the cake: preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack to the center of the oven.  Prepare one 9-inch round baking pan; butter the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter again and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter (¾ cup/170g), kosher salt (1 teaspoon) and granulated sugar (1 ½ cups/300g) for 3 minutes on medium speed (6 on a KitchenAid mixer).  Scrape the bowl and add the ricotta (1 cup/220g) and beat another 2 minutes on medium.  The mixture may look a little curdled at this point, but don’t let it worry you!
• Scrape up and down the bowl and beat in the eggs (3 large) on medium-low (4 on a KitchenAid), one at a time, scraping up and down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla (1 ½ teaspoons) with the third egg. Again, the mixture may look very curdled at this point.
• Scrape up and down the bowl and add the cornstarch (3 tablespoons/24g) and baking powder (2 ½ teaspoons) and mix on low for about 30 seconds, or until incorporated.  Then add all but a tablespoon or two of the flour (1 ⅓ cups/167g) and mix on low until just a few streaks of flour remain, scrape the bowl again and mix the batter on medium for 30 seconds. The batter is quite thick.
• Toss the remaining flour with the frozen blueberries and then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake for 30 minutes. While the cake is baking prepare the crumb topping.
• For the crumb topping: melt the unsalted butter (2 tablespoons/28g), then add the granulated sugar (3 tablespoons/38g) and all-purpose flour (¼ cup/31g) and mix until a clumpy mixture forms.
• When the 30 minutes is up, pull out the oven rack and quickly add the crumb topping to the top of the cake batter (I leave the cake on the oven rack and work carefully in the hot oven). Then continue baking until the edges begin to brown and pull away from the pan and a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 15 - 20 minutes more.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. If you'd like to remove the cake from the pan once it is cool, run a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan to loosen it.
• Garnish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Notes

If the ricotta is very watery, pour the water off the top. If a little water has seperated after coming to room temperature, just mix it back into the ricotta before adding it to the cake.

* You can substitute the all-purpose flour and cornstarch with 1 ½ cups/177g cake flour.

** Do NOT thaw the blueberries. The weight of your frozen blueberries may vary slightly. Check the label on your package for the correct weight.

This blueberry ricotta cake can be kept at room temperature for up to one day.  I would store it tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

You can freeze the cake for up to 2 months. You can either wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer in plastic wrap. Or cut the cake into individual slices; then wrap each slice tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap.

This Italian inspired cake tastes best at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 318mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 574IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 1mg

The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.

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