• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Unlikely Baker®
  • Home
  • Ice Cream
  • Recipes
    • Cakes
    • Cupcakes and Muffins
    • Cookies
    • Brownies and Bars
    • Pies and Tarts
    • Bread and Biscuits
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • No Bake Desserts
    • Ice Cream and Frozen Treats
    • Filipino Desserts and Kakanin
    • Filipino Cuisine
    • Other Sweet Treats
    • Video Recipes
    • Ube Recipes
    • Lemon and Citrus Recipes
    • Savoury Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Recipe Collections
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Hello
    • Terms of Use
  • Recipe Index
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Berry Desserts
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Berry Desserts
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake (Video)

    by Jolina | Published: March 19, 2018 | Last Updated: March 8, 2021 | 88 Comments
    This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Terms of Use for more information.

    • Share
    • Flip
    • Tweet
    • Share
    • Send
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    You don’t need frosting or glaze on this delightful Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake. Sweet and salty, soft and moist, it’s perfect with your coffee in the morning or your favourite tea in the afternoon.

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

    Can you smell that? Spring is in the air! Well, at least a preview of spring.

    We had a glorious weekend – sunshine and double-digit temperatures. I’m sure the wind chill and gloom will return but hey, for now, smiles all around. So how about we continue with our lemon journey?

    Because lemons remind you of warm days and sunshine. And also because I got carried away and bought more Meyer lemons than I know what to do with. Teehee.

    So come and bake a Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake with me! It is delicious and I promise it will brighten up your day no matter the season.

    No ingredient wasted

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

    You might remember from some of my earlier posts that we have a slight bulk buying…situation (really, who can resist grabbing that bag of Meyer lemons when it’s cheaper than buying them by piece? No matter that I end up with 15 extra lemons. Lemons are great. I love lemons).

    So we’ve learned to be creative in the use of ingredients and in finding ways to preserve them so they don’t go bad on us.

    Related: 22 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Buttermilk 

    Freezing lemon juice and lemon zest

    Take lemons, for example. I’ve mentioned when I shared how to make homemade lemon curd that I freeze extra lemon juice and zest. It’s so convenient and that way I have a stash of Meyer lemons months after they’re gone from the stores.

    What I do is measure 2 tablespoons of juice, put them in ice cube trays then once they’re frozen, transfer them to Ziploc bags. The zest just goes straight into a smaller bag. And that’s it!

    Of course fresh is always best but frozen is not bad at all. Like I said, nothing is wasted in the TUB household.

    What to do with extra ricotta cheese

    That container of ricotta cheese escaped our notice though. It was a few days past its “Best Before Date” (what does that mean anyway) but I’ve found that unless it smells funky (or funkier, in the case of cheese) or has mold in it, then it’s still good.

    Note that this has no scientific basis at all; just nose logic. Like Gandalf (did you get that reference? Let’s be BFFs!).

    Related: What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

    Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake

    Anyway, Red didn’t want to make lasagna (which was what that ricotta cheese was for in the first place) so I had to find a way to use it. Enter this Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake.

    I already have my go-to Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake Recipe which I am perfectly happy with but this new recipe needed just the right amount of cheese that I had on hand. So off we go.

    Lemons vs. oranges

    This recipe was originally made with oranges. It’s a recipe from one of my favourite chefs, Giada De Laurentiis (like this lovely Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe) and you can find the original recipe here.

    But since, you know, I have a borderline obsession with lemons I made it a lemon cake and it turned out wonderfully!

    1 pound cake, 2 pound cakes

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

    The texture of this Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake is crumblier than my buttermilk pound cake; it’s also softer. The cake has a nice crunchy crust while the inside remained light and very moist.

    It also has the sweetness of Meyer lemons and the saltiness of ricotta cheese. Sweet and salty – always a winner in my books!

    Check out this video to see how easy it is!

    So now I have two lovely pound cake recipes in my collection: one I can make when I have extra buttermilk, another when I have extra ricotta cheese. Awesome. Watch the video to see how simple it is to make.

    Try it! It’s lovely with coffee, tea or on its own. No frosting is needed, it’s delicious.

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

    Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

    Author: Jolina
    No frosting or glaze is needed in this delightful Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake. Sweet and salty, soft and moist, it’s perfect with coffee or tea.
    5 from 63 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Cooling Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine North American
    Servings 8
    Calories 467 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
    • 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 3 pcs large eggs room temperature
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp Meyer lemon zest see note 1
    • 2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and generously grease with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
    • Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ¾ cup butter, 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar on medium-high speed until incorporated, 2-3 minutes. The mixture will look like scrambled eggs at this point and that’s OK!
    • Switch to low speed and add the eggs one at a time until combined. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
    • Once your wet ingredients are incorporated, add your flour mixture a little a time until just combined. Do not over beat.
    • Transfer your batter into your pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with minimal crumbs (see note 2).
    • Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Video

    Notes

    1. You can substitute the same quantity of zest and juice from regular lemons.
    2. If you notice that your cake is getting too brown too fast, you can cover the top loosely with aluminum foil midway and continue baking.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 467kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 334mgPotassium: 204mgSugar: 37gVitamin A: 735IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 158mgIron: 1.4mg

    Nutritional information are estimates only.

    Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating today!Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.

    Happy baking!

    Did you make Meyer lemon ricotta pound cake? How’d you like it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

    And let’s get social! Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

    More Cakes

    • A slice of ube tres leches cake.
      Ube Tres Leches Cake
    • A slice of pistachio sans rival on a plate.
      The Best Pistachio Sans Rival
    • A slice of ube cake flan on a plate.
      Ube Cake Flan
    • Basque cheesecake showing the vibrant purple ube filling.
      Ube Basque Cheesecake
    • Share
    • Flip
    • Tweet
    • Share
    • Send

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charlotte Kim

      May 11, 2025 at 9:33 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, Jolina. I love this recipe! However, I was wondering how long it lasts after you make it. I ate the last slice of the loaf about 30 days after I baked it, but it tasted a bit weird. Then I made it again, and after about 20 days it started to taste a little bit weird. Not sure how to determine how long it will last, do you know how? If so, I would appreciate it if you could let me know. ‍ Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        May 12, 2025 at 8:20 am

        Hi Charlotte, it should keep for about a week in the fridge. Longer than that, I usually do the smell test before eating.

        Reply
        • Charlotte Kim

          May 18, 2025 at 9:17 pm

          Alright. Thank you so much!

          Reply
    2. Charlotte Kim

      May 08, 2025 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      This turned out so good! My daughter and I baked this for her class presentation, and she came home from school saying that everyone loved it. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who loves pound cake and lemon flavored pastries.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        May 12, 2025 at 8:22 am

        That’s awesome!

        Reply
    3. Joan

      July 29, 2023 at 5:12 am

      Hi, can you make this with almond flour instead for a gluten free cake? Thank you, Joan

      Reply
      • Jolina

        July 31, 2023 at 12:05 pm

        Hi Joan, unfortunately I don’t bake with almond flour so I can’t say for sure.

        Reply
    4. Susy

      March 16, 2023 at 1:19 pm

      Quick question. I am prepping for a birthday party and wanted to make ahead some desserts. Will this freeze well?

      Reply
      • Jolina

        March 20, 2023 at 8:24 am

        Hi Susy, I’ve never had to freeze this cake so I can’t say for sure. However, pound cakes generally freeze well, just make sure to wrap tightly and allow to cool completely before freezing.

        Reply
    5. Karen Marsh

      December 22, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh this cake is so delicious! I’ve never made a pound cake before, but I had so many Meyer lemons, I thought I’d give it a go. I followed the recipe exactly except I used all the zest from the lemon. I had to bake it for 70 mins. YUM! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        December 22, 2022 at 10:18 pm

        That’s great Karen! Happy to hear you liked it. And thanks for the reminder to start grabbing Meyer lemons too 🙂

        Reply
    6. Dottie

      November 20, 2022 at 9:34 am

      5 stars
      I made it 2 times , in 2 days, The first time I followed recipe exactly. The second time I doubled the zest, and served it with whipped cream and raspberries on the side. What fabulous comments. Several asked for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        November 22, 2022 at 8:38 am

        That’s awesome Dottie! And thanks for sharing your variations, they’re really helpful for myself and other readers too. Have a lovely day!

        Reply
    7. Jina

      June 18, 2020 at 12:31 am

      5 stars
      Hi Jolina this was very easy to make and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        June 23, 2020 at 11:05 am

        Glad you liked it Jina!

        Reply
    8. Ricardo

      June 01, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      Used regular lemons make your pound cake recipe. Simple. Delicious. Definitely making again.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        June 02, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        Hi Ricardo! Glad you liked it. It’s definitely one of our favourites.

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 63 votes (53 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate the Recipe




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Jolina! And I'm definitely a late bloomer, a thoroughly unexpected baker.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Pecan Bars Recipe
      Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust

    • Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)
      Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

    • Best Lemon Cheesecake
      The Best Lemon Cheesecake. Ever.

    • Classic Buttermilk Scones
      Classic Buttermilk Scones – Easy, Delicious, Done in 15 Minutes

    Spring Desserts

    • Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
      Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

    • A stack of raspberry white chocolate cookies on a plate.
      Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies

    • Photo of ricotta cake showing juicy blueberries within.
      Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cake

    • Slice of strawberry ricotta cake with whipped cream and strawberries.
      Strawberry Ricotta Cake (Easy No-Fail Recipe)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2016-2025 The Unlikely Baker ™

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.