A wonderfully moist peach cake, that is full of fresh peaches and made without oil or butter. Lightly sweet, it's perfect to enjoy any time of day.
I've shared a few delicious peach recipes recently, but this is the last one for a bit before I move on to some more varieties of the Summer's bounty.
This Fresh Peach Ricotta Cake is wonderfully moist, but manages that without the need for butter or oil. Just eggs and ricotta, together with the usual suspects of flour and sugar. Into the lovely batter goes lots of fresh peach. Two of the peaches are cubed and folded into the batter, while the third is sliced and scattered on top. It's all finished off with a sprinkling of brown sugar and salt and some sliced almonds.
This cake is lightly sweet, which makes it perfect to enjoy any time of day!
Ingredient Notes
Peaches: Firm, but ripe peaches are best here. I haven't tried this with anything other than fresh peaches, so I don't know if frozen or canned will work here. I left the peel on for mine (be sure to scrub well). You can certainly peel if you like.
Start with 3 large peaches or if your peaches are smaller, use 4 - 6.
Ricotta: Any variety of ricotta is fine here. I always use full-fat ricotta, so I haven't tested this with "light". Keep in mind there is no butter or oil in this cake, so the only fat (moisture) will come from the ricotta. As such, full-fat ricotta is recommended here.
Cook's Notes
The perfect size springform pan for this cake is 9-inch. That will give you a cake with decent height. A 10-inch springform pan will work, though the cake will be thinner and may cook more quickly.
It can be tricky to know when this cake is cooked through. Be sure to test in the very centre of the cake and test in several spots, trying to avoid the peaches. When in doubt, leave it in the oven a few minutes longer, to be sure. The cake should be quite golden when done.
This cake keeps fairly well stored at room temperature or in the fridge. It is the kind of cake that will get more moist as it sits, due to the moisture from all the fruit.
Recipe Card
Peach Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (full-fat recommended)
- 3 large peaches (peeled or not, as you like)
For topping:
- Flaked almonds
- Brown sugar
- Pinch salt
Garnish:
- Icing/Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the centre of the oven. Grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside. *A 9-inch springform is the best option, if you have that size.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the peaches by peeling, if desired, then cutting 2 of the peaches into cubes and then cut the 3rd peach into slices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs with the white sugar until light in colour and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the ricotta and mix in. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the 2 cubed peaches until combined well with the batter. Spoon the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the sliced peaches on the top of the batter. Scatter some flaked almonds on top, then sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar and and pinch of salt.
- Bake in preheated oven as follows: for a 9-inch springform pan, bake for 75-80 minutes. For a 10-inch springform, baking time will be shorter, about 60-65 minutes. In all cases, cake should have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top should be evenly golden. You can test centre with a skewer to be sure it is cooked in the middle.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and carefully remove the outside ring from the springform pan. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan base.
Notes
Nutrition
More peach recipes you might like ...
Gina says
This was wonderful! I used a 9' springform and it was done at almost exactly 75 minutes. My peaches weren't quite as flavorful as I'd like, so I added some ginger and a little cinnamon with the dry ingredients. Just an easy, delicious, super moist cake.
Also, I was really pleased that this worked with homemade (whole-milk) ricotta - I hadn't tried baking with ricotta I've made myself before so wasn't entirely sure it would turn out, but it worked perfectly. I have the bad habit of buying more milk than I can drink before it turns, so I'm going to be coming back to this recipe for a tasty way to use it up.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Gina and a great use for your homemade ricotta! Thanks so much :)
Cindy Jones-Sherk says
Made this LOVED IT.
Added a few blueberries to the top just for added colour & a little lemon in the ricotta.
What a perfect light, not too sweet summer (or anytime :) ) dessert.
Thank you!
Cindy
Jennifer says
Sounds lovely, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks :)
Myra Vergani says
This sounds amazing! But, I have some questions. 1) Can you make them into muffins? 2) Can you use canned peaches??
Jennifer says
Hi Myra, I'm not sure about muffins. It's quite a tender cake. If you went that route I would bake them up in those tulip parchment liners. I'm pretty sure they would stick like crazy. And yes, I feel like you could use canned peaches here.
David Velez says
I had some fresh blackberries in the fridge so tossed them and grated lemon to it for a little bit of citrus flavor. Came out delicious.
For baking time. About an hour but every 15 minutes I rotated the pan just to be on the safe side.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, David! Thanks so much :)
Suzanne says
I tried the recipe today. I should have read these comments before I baked the cake. I baked it for 75 minutes. It wasn’t long enough. The centre of the cake was soggy. Disappointed because I used a bamboo skewer to test if it was done. The skewer came out clean. The part that is cooked through is very good.
Tamara says
Delicious! I've made two this week. The baking time for me was closer to the hour and half mark as well.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Tamara! Thanks so much :)
Pansyface says
Can't wait to try it...sounds delicious and love your recipes. I wish authors of recipes would state in their directions if a convection (bake) setting was used or a regular oven. That can vary baking times significantly. I never see the word "convection" used in recipes and I would think a lot of chefs have them. ????
Jennifer says
That's a great point! I can tell you that while my oven has a Convection Bake setting, that I always use the standard Bake setting for baking recipes here on the blog. While ovens with convection features are becoming more common in kitchens, I just find it safer to use the setting that I know everyone has :) That said, I take your point and I will keep in mind to clarify that I used the regular bake setting for recipes like this (so yes, this one was baked in my kitchen on regular Bake, not convection).
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
My husband loves simple cakes and this looks like it could be one of his summer favorites.
Jennifer says
I think he would love this one, Karen :)
Rachael says
This is amazing - simple to make and I can't wait to have another slice later today! Because of how I baked it (see below), it ended up slightly chewy on the edges, which was soooo good. The rest of the cake is just a dream. I was tempted to put in some almond extract when I was making it, but I'm so glad I did not do it, because this cake has such a nice light flavor that it would be a shame to add anything else.
I had to bake mine with a cookie tray under the 9-inch springform (my springform sprung a leak!), so I ended up baking it for about an hour and a half.
Rachael says
This is such a beautiful cake! I think I did something wrong, because mine took an hour and a half in the oven in a 9 inch springform. It looks and smells beautiful, so I’m looking forward to tasting it later today.
Jennifer says
Hi Rachael and I don't thing you did anything wrong! I suspect this is one of those cakes where the baking time will vary depending on the moisture content of the ricotta and peaches and the pan type and the oven.
Rachael says
This is amazing - simple to make and I can't wait to have another slice later today! Because of how I baked it, it ended up slightly chewy on the edges, which was soooo good. The rest of the cake is just a dream. I was tempted to put in some almond extract when I was making it, but I'm so glad I did not do it, because this cake has such a nice light flavor that it would be a shame to add anything else.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Rachael! Thanks :)
Tricia B says
This is my kind of cake! I adore ricotta in a cake like this and the peaches look wonderful! Pinned :)
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Tricia :)
Leanne says
I make a peach ricotta cake in my skillet, and it has been a go-to dessert this summer. I just love the texture that ricotta adds to cakes. And this cake looks like it has a perfect texture! All the cubed peaches in the batter are a nice touch too!
Jennifer says
Thanks Leanne! I make ricotta cakes often, as I always seem to have a container of ricotta around that needs using :) I love the texture, too.
Milena says
You've done it again! I often eat peeled fresh peach slices with ricotta and honey for breakfast and I am soo inspired by this cake. Trying it out asap while peaches are in season!
Jennifer says
Thanks Milena! Enjoy :)
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says
Oh my my! This looks incredibly delicious!!!!!!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Oh my, would I LOVE a slice Jennifer! What a gteat recipe to showcase those beautiful, juicy summer peaches!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
Kankana Saxena says
OMG that looks SO GOOD! I made a chocolate ricotta cake long back but now am really interested in trying this while it's still summer
Jennifer says
Thanks Kankana! I think you will enjoy this peach version, as well :)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Perfect for any time of the day, indeed....like, right now ;) This looks super yummy and I can only imagine how lovely it would be alongside some of your peach ice cream!!
Jennifer says
Thanks Dawn and yes, that would be perfect!