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Baking

Lemon Ricotta Coffee Cake with Sour Cherry Jam

9 servings • 30 min prep • 40-45 min bake

Ingredients

19 items

Streusel

100 gpacked dark or light brown sugar(1/2 cup)
60 gall-purpose flour(1/2 cup)
2 tspground cinnamon
42 gbutter(cold and cubed; 3 tbsp)

Cake

166 gall-purpose flour(1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp)
1 tspbaking powder
0.25 tspbaking soda
0.25 tspsalt
2 tbsplemon zest(2 lemons)
150 ggranulated sugar
56 gbutter(softened to room temperature; 4 tbsp)
40 galmond oil(3 tbsp)
1.75 tspvanilla extract
0.25 tspalmond extract
120 gricotta(whole-milk and at room temperature; drain it first if it's especially wet; 1/2 cup)
2 largeeggs(at room temperature)
2 tbspfresh lemon juice
15 gheavy cream or almond milk(1 tbsp)
160 gsour cherry jam

Method

10 steps
01

Prepare the pan.

Lightly butter an 8-inch square pan and line it with parchment paper.

02

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

03

Make the lemon sugar.

  1. Combine the lemon zest with the sugar in a small bowl.
  2. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until fully combined.
  3. Cover and set aside.
04

Make the cinnamon crumb topping.

  1. Combine the dry ingredients (brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon).
  2. Cut in the butter with a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor.
  3. Mix until the mixture is in pea-sized crumbs.
  4. Refrigerate.
05

Mix the dry ingredients.

Mix together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a medium bowl.

06

Make the wet ingredients.

  1. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and lemon sugar on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 5-6 minutes.
  2. Add the almond oil and beat until combined, roughly 1 minute.
  3. Add the ricotta and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is visibly lighter and fluffier, roughly 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until just combined.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
  6. Add the lemon juice.
07

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

  1. Beat the wet and dry ingredients together on low speed until just combined.
  2. Beat in the heavy cream or almond milk.
Don't overmix this; stop as soon as everything is combined.
08

Layer the cake.

  1. Put half of the batter into the pan and spread it evenly.
  2. Carefully spread the jam, making sure not to disturb the batter.
  3. Dollop the remaining batter over the jam and carefully spread it into an even layer.
09

Bake the cake.

  1. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, take the cinnamon crumb mixture out of the fridge.
  2. After 10 minutes, cover the top with the cinnamon crumb topping and put it back in the oven.
  3. Bake for another 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any wet batter.
Some jam on the toothpick is fine; look for moist cake crumbs rather than wet batter.
10

Let the cake cool.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting.