Lemon Love Cake: An Easy Layered Dessert for Spring

Lemon Love Cake

Lemon Love Cake is the kind of dessert that makes people ask which bakery you stopped at, and the answer is always the same: your own kitchen, with a boxed cake mix as the starting point.

It brings together a moist lemon cake layer, a sweet ricotta filling, and a whipped mascarpone lemon pudding topping. The finished cake tastes rich and looks like a celebration, which is exactly why I keep it in rotation for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and any occasion that needs a little sunshine on the table.

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If you are a true lemon lover, this one is for you.

Italian Love Cake

This cake borrows its whole idea from an Italian Love Cake recipe from Food Network, credited to Valerie Bertinelli. The concept is simple and a little theatrical.

You start with a boxed lemon cake mix, prepare it as the package directs, and spread that batter in a 13 by 9 inch pan. Then you spoon a soft ricotta mixture over the top.

That mixture is built from ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and it goes on gently so it sits in an even layer over the batter.

Then the oven does something that still feels like a small magic trick. During baking, the lemon cake layer rises to the top while the ricotta layer sinks to the bottom.

You put one arrangement in and pull the opposite arrangement out, with a tender cake on top and a creamy, cheesecake style filling underneath. If you have ever made a Lemon Custard Cake and watched the layers trade places, you already know the feeling.

Flavor wise, this cake lands on the gentle side. The lemon is present and pleasant, and the sweetness is balanced rather than sugary. I think it is just right as written.

If you are the kind of person who wants lemon to announce itself, add more grated lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. That is the easiest dial to turn, and it does not change anything else about the recipe.

The frosting follows the same easy logic. It combines lemon pudding, mascarpone, and milk, and it contains no added sugar because the instant lemon pudding mix is already sweetened. If your sweet tooth runs a little bigger than mine, beat in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar to taste. Start small and taste as you go.

The layers switch places in the oven, so do not worry if the pan looks the opposite of what you expected. That is the whole point of this cake.

Serve it chilled at a birthday party, a baby shower, or a quiet Sunday dinner, and watch how quickly the plates come back empty.

How to make Lemon Love Cake

Here is the whole process in plain language, so you know what you are getting into before you start. It takes about ten minutes of hands on work and then the oven does the rest.

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions, then stir in 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pour that batter into your prepared pan and set it aside.
2. Beat 32 oz. ricotta, the zest from 1 lemon, and 4 oz. mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium low speed until smooth.
3. Add ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat until smooth.
4. Add 4 eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until combined.
5. Gently spread the ricotta mixture over the cake batter, leaving about ½ inch of bare batter around the edges.
6. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake completely before you frost it. This part really matters.
8. For the frosting, beat 12 oz. mascarpone on medium speed until smooth, gradually beat in 1 cup milk, then beat in one 3.4 oz. package of lemon instant pudding mix until smooth.
9. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, then slice and enjoy.

Two small details carry most of the weight here. First, leave that rim of uncovered batter. It gives the ricotta room to settle as it sinks, and it keeps the edges neat. Second, do not rush the cooling step. A warm cake will melt the frosting into a puddle, and no amount of chilling later will fix that.

If you want to get ahead, bake and cool the cake the day before, then make the frosting fresh the day you plan to serve it. The whole thing stores beautifully in the fridge, and honestly it tastes even better on day two once the lemon has had time to settle in.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 16 oz. package lemon cake mix, plus the ingredients listed on the box (water, oil, eggs)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 32 oz. part skim ricotta
• 4 oz. mascarpone
• Grated zest from 1 lemon
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

• 12 oz. mascarpone
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3.4 oz. package lemon instant pudding mix
• Powdered sugar, if needed to taste

Nothing here is hard to find. The ricotta does most of the heavy lifting, so reach for a good quality one, and let the mascarpone come to room temperature before you beat it. It blends much more smoothly that way.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with unsalted butter, dust it with flour, and set it aside.
2. Prepare the cake mix following the package directions, then mix in 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and set aside.
3. With an electric mixer on medium low speed, beat 32 oz. ricotta, the lemon zest, and 4 oz. mascarpone until smooth.
4. Add ¾ cup sugar and the vanilla, and beat until smooth.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just until combined.
6. Gently spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the cake batter, but do not take it all the way to the edges. Leave about a ½ inch rim of bare batter. The ricotta and cake layers will switch places while baking.
7. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
9. For the frosting, beat 12 oz. mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
10. Gradually add the milk, beating until smooth, then add the pudding mix and beat until smooth.
11. Taste the frosting. If it is not sweet enough, add powdered sugar a Tablespoon at a time until it reaches the sweetness you like.
12. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Store the cake in the fridge.

When you spread the ricotta mixture, use a light hand. Drop it over the batter in spoonfuls first, then nudge it into an even layer with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Pressing too firmly pushes the two layers together before the oven ever gets a chance to do its work.

The toothpick test is your best friend on this bake. Insert it in the center, and if it comes out clean with no wet batter clinging to it, the cake is done. Give it a few extra minutes if you are unsure, but try not to overshoot, because the ricotta layer stays creamiest when it is just set.

Notes

The cake has a subtle lemon flavor, and that gentle brightness is part of its charm. For a more pronounced lemon flavor, add more lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. Add it a little at a time and taste the filling before you commit, since zest intensity varies from lemon to lemon. A teaspoon or two more is usually plenty.

Recipe details

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 50 to 60 minutes, and the recipe lists a total time of 2 hours.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 50 to 60 minutes
• Total time: 2 hours

Most of that total time is hands off, spent baking and then waiting for the cake to cool before the frosting goes on.

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Lemon Love Cake

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Lemon Love Cake Lemon Love Cake is the kind of dessert that makes people ask which bakery you stopped at, and the answer is always the same: your own kitchen, with a boxed cake mix as the starting point. It brings together a moist lemon cake layer, a sweet ricotta filling, and a whipped mascarpone lemon pudding topping.

• Total Time: 120 min

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cake
16 oz. lemon cake mix, package, + ingredients listed on box (water, oil, eggs)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
32 oz. part-skim ricotta
4 oz. mascarpone
1 lemon zest, grated
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting
12 oz. mascarpone
1 cup whole milk
3.4 oz. lemon instant pudding mix, package
powdered sugar

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Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 350 F: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 13×9 baking dish with unsalted butter and dust with flour, then set aside.
2-Prepare the cake mix according to package: Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, then mix in 2 Tablespoons lemon juice. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and set aside.
3-Beat 32 oz: Beat 32 oz. ricotta, lemon zest and 4 oz. mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Add ¾ cup sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Gently spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the cake batter, but do not go all the way to the edges with ricotta mixture (leave about ½ inch rim). Ricotta and cake layers will switch places during the baking.
4-Bake about 50- 60 minutes or until: Bake about 50- 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
5-To make the frosting, beat 12 oz: To make the frosting, beat 12 oz. mascarpone with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the milk, beating until smooth. Add the pudding mix and beat until smooth. Taste the frosting and if it is not sweet enough to your taste, add powdered sugar a Tablespoons at the time until reach desired sweetness. Spread frosting over the cooled cake.
6-Store the cake in the fridge: Store the cake in the fridge.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Method: bake