Rich keto Italian almond cake with the creaminess of ricotta cheese. This deliciously tender cake is a low carb, sugar free marvel.
Can a cake be called creamy? Because that is the word that best describes the wonderful texture of this Keto Almond Ricotta Cake.
Not creamy in a cheesecake kind of way, although I have plenty of keto cheesecake recipes if that’s what you’re up for.
No, this Italian style keto almond cake still has a proper cake-like crumb. But it has a creamy, rich mouthfeel that defies expectations. It’s an experience you will want to repeat over and over.
Ricotta Cake Inspiration
I often buy a tub of ricotta cheese without really knowing what I plan on doing with it. And then it hangs out in my fridge and I suddenly realize I’ve got about 10 seconds to use it up before it goes bad.
Of course, ricotta is delicious in lots of savory recipes, like my Keto Lasagna Skillet or this delicious Spinach Stuffed Chicken.
But it also makes for fabulous baked goods. Poking around my Pinterest boards one day, I noticed that I had saved quite a number of recipes Italian ricotta cakes like this one. So clearly it was time to keto-fy it.
Boy, I am glad I did. I was blown away by both the texture and the flavor. And since it isn’t overly sweet, it’s wonderful as a coffee cake, or as a keto dessert with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
How to make keto almond ricotta cake
You will need a springform pan for this tender, delicious cake, and I also recommend lining the bottom with a parchment paper circle. I like these unbleached pre-cut parchment circles.
Beyond that, this ricotta cake is exceptionally easy to make. Here are few extra tips for getting it right.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together first, so that you know they are well combined before adding them to the batter.
- Yes, the protein powder is a vital component of the recipe, as it helps make the cake more light and fluffy, with a traditional cake crumb. The short explanation: gluten is a protein and when you are baking gluten-free, another dry protein helps baked goods rise properly and hold their shape.
- Always have the wet ingredients at room temperature. They mix together more easily and become more creamy. And nothing is worse than carefully creaming your butter, only to add cold eggs and have it clump up again.
- Use full fat (whole milk) ricotta to get the best out of this recipe. Ricotta also often has a lot of watery whey in the container. Try to avoid that and get the good thick cheese in your cup measure.
- Patience, my friends. As with so many keto cakes and cookies, this almond ricotta cake needs to fully cool to have the ideal texture. It may crumble easily when warm.
How to store and serve your keto ricotta cake
Because of the added moisture from the cheese, this cake is best stored in the refrigerator. Let it cool completely first, and store in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
I haven’t tried to freeze it but I do believe this would freeze quite well.
I prefer the flavor at room temperature so I let it sit out on the counter for 30 minutes before serving.
It’s delicious with a light sprinkling of powdered sweetener and some fresh berries. It’s also wonderful topped with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Ready to make some delicious Keto Almond Ricotta Cake?
More delicious keto recipes that use ricotta cheese
- Keto Cannoli Sheet Cake
- Keto Zucchini Lasagna
- Ricotta Lemon Scones
- Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms
- Keto Ricotta Fritters
- Keto Ricotta Meatballs
Keto Almond Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour (about 200g)
- ⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder (can sub egg white protein)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- powdered Swerve Sweetener
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until creamy. Beat in the ricotta until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined, then beat in the almond extract.
- Add the almond flour mixture and beat until smooth. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with sliced almonds. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and the top is firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool 20 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan and loosen the sides. Let cool completely before slicing.
- Sprinkle with powdered sweetener before serving.
Michelle says
What, if anything, could I use in place of the whey protein/egg white protein?
Carolyn says
Nothing. I recommend it if you want light fluffy keto cakes.
Erin says
This may be a silly question, but is “egg white protein” just an egg white, or something in powder form?
Carolyn says
It’s a protein powder.
Beth Wood says
Made this for hubby’s birthday, but added dark chocolate (keto approved) chips. He loved it! So did I. Next time I bake it I will cut a half a teaspoon of almond extract out. Or maybe try dark chocolate and orange extract! Really one of the best keto cakes I’ve tried! Thanks so much for the delicious recipes!
Frankie Bolander says
Beautiful and easy to make but you would never know it by how pretty and delicious it is. I will make this often.
I used Monkfruit sweeteners and then 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract in
place of 1 1/2 tsp almond extract. 🙂
Thank-you Carolyn!!
Thecla says
I made this recipe and even my non keto familymemers thought it was very yummy, but… the perfectionist as I try to be noticed that in the middle th pie was still raw or not baked enough.
Used my convection oven (not my gas stove) could that be the ‘problem’ that my pie was soft in the middle. Is it better to use my gas stove and place the spring form on a rack instead of a baking sheet as I did in the convection oveN.
Regards,
Thecla
Carolyn says
Since I created mine exactly as written, it’s hard to say. Is it a smaller counter-top convection oven? Those definitely don’t bake the same way a regular oven does.
Thecla says
Hi Carolyn,
It is indeed a counter-top combination over with convection and microwave. Next time I will use my gas stove oven.
Thanks for you quick reply 🙂 🙂
Regards,
Thecla
Carmella Goodman says
This cake was so amazing! My family loved it and they are not doing keto only me. I do have one question about the macros, when I copied your recipe into Carb Manager it came up with 13.5 carbs per serving of a 12 serving cake. Your recipe says it’s 5.5 or something like that carbs per serving. Any ideas what I could’ve done wrong or is this really just higher in carbs from what I was looking for? I appreciate you for your time and effort you put in and I’m thinking it’s just user error, but thought I’d mention it in case someone else experienced the same. It’s a wonderful cake, I can only have half a serving if the carbs are that high.
Carolyn says
DO NOT TRUST CARB MANAGER!!! It usually counts all of the erythritol, which shouldn’t be counted.
Terri says
I want to make this for our dessert for Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Just discovered that I am out of unflavored protein powder. Can I substitute vanilla?
Carolyn says
It may have a much stronger vanilla flavor.
Eve says
Great recipe – so many pop-up advertisements on the page it was hard to read most of the time.
Carolyn says
I only have one pop up, so if that’s happening to you, you might want to update your browser.
Nikki says
Everyone loved it. Thank you!
Louisa says
Amazing cake. Thanks for another great recipe.
Arcangela says
Made this today for Christmas Eve. I doubled the recipe! I had batter leftover and made a mini one in my ramekin. So good!!! Loved it! I wish I can show you a picture!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Margaret McCasland says
Made this for Thankskgiving. So delicious with a great texture. Thanks, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Fantastic!
Fariba says
Beautiful, delish cake. I made this beauty for my birthday last night. It was so good nobody guessed if it’s any different than regular cake. Every body asked for the second. I added some whipped cream and strawberries for decoration. Thanks Carolyn.
Alison Dallon says
This was AMAZING. the texture was perfect. The almond flavor was perfect. You have renewed my hope in low carb!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Jill P says
Delish!! Made this for a dinner party and it was a hit. I substituted grass-fed collagen protein for the whey protein, same weight, and it seemed to work fine. Baked it for the full 50 minutes. Will definitely make this again. Thanks Carolyn!!
Ravi says
I have never baked a cake before and was looking for a keto friendly cake treat. I tired this and it came out great. The only changes I made were add a tablespoon of mct oil to make it wetter and I used “cookies an RV creme” whey powder as I didn’t have plain or vanilla. I love it. There are some random slightly bitter tasting bites,, I guess it’s my baking powder
Anu says
This was delicious! The only change I made was to add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mix along with almond extract and that really mellowed the flavours so well. Thank you for another fab recipe, truly appreciated. I off to make your apple caramel scones now…
Linda Besmer says
FABULOUS RECIPE. MOIST CRUMB. I LOVE ALMOND, BUT DISCOVERED THAT I HAD VERY LITTLE ALMOND EXTRACT LEFT, SO I SUBSTITUTED COCONUT EXTRACT AND SHREDDED UNSWEETENED COCONUT ON TOP, SIMPLE TO MAKE.
Nancy MacRae says
Oh my gosh! This cake is fabulous. I didn’t have any Swerve, so I used a combination of Lakanto monk fruit sweetener and some Xylitol (just because I like Xylitol.) I plan to try Swerve to see if it really is better. Keto breads and pastries have not been favorites of mine, so I wonder if the protein powder is the magic ingredient? Have you tried adding it to other Keto bread recipes?
P.S. We had the Keto Crustless Pizza for Two- another winning recipe – followed by the almond cake for dessert.
Your website never disappoints.
Angelin says
Loved the cake very much it was very easy to make and it just tastes like tea cake. Amazing recipe, great going!
Sandy says
I, too, often have a tub of ricotta in my frig and have to figure out what to do.
I made this cake yesterday and it was delicious. Also, delicious today.
Just as moist and flavorful. My son ate it for breakfast.
Just a thought. I was reading another recipe for a chocolate cake and
the writer mentioned leaving her batter to rest for about 30 minutes before baking.
I did that just to see and I think it does help tone down the inevitable
slight graininess of the almond flour.
This is a keeper. Going to try and make it lemon and then chocolate.
Why not! So Good.