Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake | Ina Garten

The flavor combination of blueberry and ricotta is fantastic. Previously, I posted the ricotta cake with berry compote from Dessert Person because it’s a winning combination. It’s the real deal; I love baking the cake over and over again. For a quick, light, breakfast version, I won’t hesitate to get my mixer going right away. To top it off, this cake comes with a growing review from a cooking club partner Kim from Stirring the Pot; it’s all the better. Without a doubt, you know the recipe is well tested and accessible coming from Ina Garten’s latest cookbook Go-To Dinners.

As expected, this cake is a winner judging by the amount of time it takes before it is all gone. The texture is pillowy inside with a pleasant crust outside, when the cake is fresh out of the oven. The texture changes quickly as the cake cools. I like a separate cake and blueberry layer, both get cake-y and custardy to varying degree. The crunch is no longer, but the blueberry flavor seems to have intensified. Overall, a very satisfying eat.

Baking tips:

• I forgot the part of the instruction about leaving one-third of the blueberries to scatter on top. If you don’t do that, all the blueberries gather at the bottom of the cake. That becomes a layer of blueberry compote, which is fine for me. An alternate approach is to put some flour with the blueberries so that they float in the cake batter. As you can see, there are different ways you can position the blueberries in the cake.
• I add weights in grams (in addition to volume measurements) in the recipe. If you use a scale to measure all the ingredients as you bake, the results tend to be more consistent over time. I prefer grams because you can measure lower-weight ingredients more accurately.
• If the crusty exterior is what you prefer, try baking the batter in cup cakes. Bake for about 30 minutes until browned. The crust-to-crumb ratio increases in a standard cup cake relative to a 9-inch cake.

Print Recipe

Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake

By Ina Garten – Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons/ 1-1/4 sticks/ 141 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup / 200g granulated sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1-1/4 cups/ 170g all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (12 ounces), divided
• sifted confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round springform pan, shaking out any excess flour.

2

START BY CREAMING SUGAR AND BUTTER: Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest and mix well. (The batter will look curdled.)

4

MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just until incorporated.

5

FOLD IN THE BLUEBERRIES: With the rubber spatula, fold two thirds of the blueberries into the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining blueberries on the cake, pressing them lightly into the surface.

6

BAKE: Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and lightly dust the top with the confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from Go-To Dinners by Ina Garten