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Cherry almond ricotta cake on a plate with a fork.
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Cherry Almond Ricotta Cake (Gluten Free)

This cherry almond ricotta cake is moist and tender with an irresistible almond flavor. It’s the perfect snack cake, coffee cake or celebration cake! The cake is loaded with juicy sweet cherries—using frozen, pitted cherries makes the batter really easy (although you can use fresh pitted cherries if you prefer). For a gluten free cake (pictured in this post) use a GF all-purpose flour blend—I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Almond flour helps keep the cake moist, while fresh ricotta gives the cake a fluffy texture. Be sure to use a good quality ricotta (the ingredients should list just milk and/or whey, salt and vinegar). Serve the cake on its own with a cup of coffee or tea, or dress it up with whipped cream (try this Cardamom Whipped Cream) or ice cream for a festive dessert!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cherry almond cake, gluten free cherry cake, ricotta cake recipe
Servings: 1 9-inch cake

Equipment

  • 9-inch cake pan

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray or oil for pan

Dry ingredients

  • 1 cup (148g) gluten free flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour) OR 1 cup (136g) regular all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (55g) almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Wet ingredients

  • 1 cup (210g) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (155g) organic cane sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
  • cup (70g) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ⅛ teaspoons teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 cups frozen pitted sweet cherries
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado or demerara sugar

For serving

  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) with a rack in the middle. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray (or rub it with oil). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Whisk the wet ingredients

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, sugar, olive oil and almond extract.

Finish and bake

  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold to combine (it will be a thick batter). Fold in 1 ½ cups of the cherries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the remaining cherries over top, and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake the cake until it’s golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15-20 minutes. Run a thin knife along the edges then remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
  • If you’d like serve the cake with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream!

Notes

Storage: The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Tips:
  • You’ll need a 9-inch cake pan for this recipe (or you can use a 9-inch springform pan). Be sure to spritz the pan with cooking spray (or rub it with oil) and line the bottom with parchment paper—that will make it easy to remove the cake after it’s baked. 
  • Use a good quality ricotta cheese in this recipe—it shouldn’t contain and gums or fillers (the ingredients should list just milk and/or whey, salt and vinegar).
  • Use any leftover ricotta in this Lamb Ragu, in these Whipped Ricotta Crostini, or in cheesecake bowls with Cherries in Port
  • Using frozen, pitted sweet cherries makes this cake a breeze, but you can use fresh cherries if you prefer. Just be sure to pit them before using (I love this cherry pitter).
  • Sprinkling the top of the cake with turbinado sugar adds extra sweetness and delicious crunch. You can use Demerara sugar instead, or even just regular granulated sugar, if that’s all you have.