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–+ servings

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ricotta Cake

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Prep 30 minutes
Bake Time 40 minutes
Chocolate, more chocolate, a little more chocolate, cherries and creamy ricotta in the cake & the frosting. Finished off with chocolate covered fresh cherries.
Servings 12
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh cherries—pitted and finely chopped
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/3 cup Frigo® Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted
  • 2 eggs plus 1 yolk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup hot water
Frosting
  • 1 cup 2 sticks butter—softened
  • 2 –3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch salt
  • 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup Frigo® Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
Chocolate Covered Cherries
  • 16 whole fresh cherries with stem
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate melting wafers or chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate melting wafers or chips
  • 1 teaspoons coconut or canola oil

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans & line bottom with parchment
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer), combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, espresso powder, and salt.
  4. Add chocolate chips and cherries. Mix to coat.
  5. Add ricotta, butter, eggs and extracts to the bowl and beat until smooth.
  6. Pour in hot water & mix to fully combine (batter will be thin).
  7. Divide batter evenly between pans.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 30–40 minutes—checking at 30 with a toothpick inserted in the center. Cake is done when the toothpick has just a few moist crumbs attached.
  9. Cool on a wire rack in pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
  1. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer). Cream on medium speed for 5 minutes.
  2. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, salt & vanilla. Mix until completely combined. Frosting will be very thick.
  3. Add ricotta cheese & mix until fully incorporated. Don’t overmix! Beat just until smooth.
  4. Frost middle, top & sides of cake.
Chocolate Covered Cherries
  1. Wash & dry cherries. Make sure they are very dry.
  2. Line a tray with parchment paper.
  3. Add chocolate and oil to a bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between, until fully melted.
  4. Dip cherries individually and place on lined tray until chocolate is completely hardened.
  5. Use cherries to decorate top of cake as desired (I used 8).

Notes

Use a large chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls for the top of the cake, if desired.

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