Christmas

Louisa's Cake

May  2, 2021
4.3
134 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Louisa is a family friend, gardener and chef from Castellina in Chianti, Italy, where we gather several times a year. She cooks everything from memory and threw this together one night last spring. When we pressed her for the recipe she hastily rattled some ingredients off and we scrambled to write it all down on a napkin. Along with my husband and children, we've tested this cake about 6 times, and friends are constantly asking for the recipe. —SML Office —Jennifer Wagner

Test Kitchen Notes

Only a true Italian nonna could produce something this ethereal with such a simple list of ingredients. SML Office got the recipe for this cake from a family friend in Chianti (Louisa), and to us it's the epitome of a classic Italian dessert. It's airy and light, but not without integrity: ricotta, eggs and plenty of butter give it richness, grated apple lends heft, and lemon zest rescues it from being at all bland. The cake is gently sweetened, and thus equally suited to breakfast and dessert. We think it would be great with something tangy and fresh, like a fruit compote -- and rhubarb season is coming up! - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Louisa's Cake
Ingredients
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 apple, peeled and grated (should yield about 1 cup)
  • Confectioners' sugar for serving
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400° F. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. On the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time.
  4. Slowly add the flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder, and apple.
  5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan.
  6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and cool completely on the rack. Sift confectioners' sugar over the top or serve with your favorite seasonal fruit.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Smaug
    Smaug
  • Nancy Caravan
    Nancy Caravan
  • Judi Lowell-Riley
    Judi Lowell-Riley
  • Regine
    Regine
  • Patrizia
    Patrizia
Jennifer Wagner is a creative director and graphic designer who loves traveling, cooking and gardening She lives in Garrison, NY

504 Reviews

sakimi June 30, 2024
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Elena_B June 21, 2024
Hi all, i have done this cake numerous times but only once i managed to get to the structure similar to the recipe picture. All other times unfortunately cake comes out way too dense and moist almost like a flan. I have tried with different ricotta types and different oven temperatures, but alas still cant make it work. If anyone managed to overcome this, i would be so happy to know how, because the taste is great but the texture is nothing like the photo :(
 
cosmiccook June 21, 2024
I read (Serious Eats, maybe?) that subbing cottage cheese for Ricotta is a wonderful idea. Good Culture Cottage cheese makes a DOUBLE CREAM ( I know, expensive) I'm itching to use in lieu of Ricotta. This might be the perfect recipe for an experiment. I would ONLY use the Good Culture brand.
 
Manzar K. June 18, 2024
I've baked this cake countless times; it's become almost second nature, just like how Italian Nonna Louisa would make it! It's my go-to for hosting friends at home or bringing a comforting treat to those who need it most—everyone adores it. Though I misplaced my recipe recently, I recalled its origin: Food 52, one of my beloved websites for discovering amazing recipes! Vidmate app has quickly become my go-to companion for video exploration.
 
Anja May 5, 2024
What a wonderful and simple recipe. This cake may not look fancy or glamorous cake but I can see myself eating this at a little cafe or restaurant in the countryside of Italy or Spain. The apples and ricotta make this a moist cake, I also sprinkled slivered almonds on the top, and I already know this recipe is a keeper. The cake came together in no time. I used a gluten free flour blend and baked it for 45 minutes. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
 
saralee1672 March 7, 2024
Thank you for sharing such wonderful and relevant information on your blog.
dordle
 
jacky A. March 6, 2024
Absolutely loved trying out the new recipe from this site! The flavors were exquisite, and the presentation was a delight. I even served it with my beautiful jug and glass set, adding an extra touch of elegance to the dining experience. The step-by-step instructions were clear and easy to follow, making the dish a breeze to prepare. For the best acrylic glassware, I highly recommend visiting this site https://homentable.com/collections/acrylic-glassware . Can't wait to explore more recipes here and showcase them in my lovely dining collection. Thank you for such a wonderful culinary adventure
 
poppy12 February 29, 2024
You can try all you want to play dordle, but the information provided is current and useful. Very engrossing!
 
Kristina M. January 12, 2024
Fantastic! Made these into blueberry “muffins”, 325’F for 30 min. ( I only had 2 eggs, I will try with 3 soon)
 
carol September 26, 2023
I have made this cake so many times I feel like I can make it from memory as the Italian Nonna, Louisa does! I make it for friends that come over to my house, for meals that I take to friends in need; everyone loves it! I lost my recipe recently, but thankfully I remembered where I originally found this wonderful recipe...one of my favorite websites....Food 52!
 
woodenmask July 16, 2023
Sugar=218 grams
AP Flour=150 grams
Ricotta=247 grams
 
Rachel P. June 25, 2023
I continue to love this recipe after many years of making this cake. It always receives rave reviews and never disappoints! Served it this past Friday and Saturday with fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream.
 
Smaug June 19, 2023
This was quite good- the flavor really does seem to be greater than the sum of the parts. Almost made it all the way without altering the recipe; at the last minute broke down and added some nutmeg (and I'd do it again). I skipped the confectioner's sugar. Also, I'd recommend sifting together the flour and baking powder before adding. It's pretty sweet, but not cloying. Easy and, even with the current wildly inflated prices on sugar, flour and ricotta, inexpensive. I made 1/2 the recipe in a 6 3/4" springform.
 
Nancy C. February 22, 2023
Good and easy. I've made it a few times for guests, served with berries and/or whipped cream, and the leftovers freeze nicely. But I find the flavor to be a bit too "egg-y." Maybe the fact that I cut down a little on sugar affects the overall flavor that would otherwise be covered up by sweetness.
 
acroft September 8, 2022
I make this all the time! Perfect simple cake and makes a good snack
 
P.w.p August 28, 2022
I’ve made this 2x before and cut the sugar as I usually find most desserts too sweet and I loved my family loved it. This time, however, did the same and I found this excessively sweet somehow. Didn’t have lemon so I used orange zest as it was what was available. And, my batter was too wet (toothpick came out clean) n the outside almost burnt. I even covered the top w foil for the last 15”. It almost took 39” but apparently wasn’t cooked enough still. It is a different oven so I’m wondering if this was 1 of the issues.
 
Patrizia October 18, 2022
stesso identico problema, l'ho fatta più volte con la speranza di riuscire cosi' come si vede dal video ma niente, troppo alto forse la temperatura del forno e poi bisognerebbe sapere se è statico o ventilato o anche dove posizionare la teglia...molto buona di sapore, ho messo metà zucchero rispetto alla ricetta e comunque sempre dolce è, impasto troppo fluido, forse necessita di più farina oppure è diversa la qualità della ricotta. La voglio rifare ancora ma personalizzarla, aggiustando le dosi degli ingredienti.
 
Judi L. May 18, 2022
Perfect cake
 
Jami March 3, 2022
This is a stunning cake. Moist, flavorful, comforting, and just the right amount of sweetness. Brava!
 
Dani January 1, 2022
This cake was delicious!Honestly, so simple and not too sweet. My kind of cake. You can taste the hint of apple and lemon. Nice, light and fresh. In the summer, I will top it with some summer fruit to make it perfect. Thank you for a lovely cake recipe.
 
Regine December 14, 2021
Excellent cake. A Delicious cake in terms of texture (light and moist), flavor (buttery/lemony in a subtle way), and simplicity (easy to make). I used a 9 inch springform pan, and based on some of the reviews, I chose to lower the oven temperature from 400F to 350F. It took exactly 40 minutes for the cake to be ready. A long skewer inserted in the middle of the cake came out clean. I see some reduced the sugar but I really don't see the need as the sweetness of this cake is perfect. I plan on making this cake again and again. I also added 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Others can choose to add other flavorings such as orange zest, almond extract, etc. This cake is perfect. I give it 5 stars. Oh...I forgot to say something important. I oftentime use the reverse creaming method when I make a cake so I used my food processor to mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and I then added the soft butter. Once the flour and butter mixture becomes sandy, you add the eggs, ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest. Last, I added the grated apple and I mixed it into the batter with a spatula rather than letting the food processor run.
 
ann H. November 13, 2021
This recipe has become our go-to breakfast cake recipe.
I add more lemon zest and squeeze a little lemon juice on my grated apple but otherwise follow the recipe precisely.
Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe.
 
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