There aren’t many weeks when a large container of fresh ricotta doesn’t make it into my grocery cart. I’m a big-time ricotta lover. I make ricotta gnocchi, blueberry ricotta pancakes, ricotta toast with fresh tomato, and I even eat ricotta in a bowl with honey and fresh berries on top. Obsessed, I tell you. You would think two people would have a hard time finishing a tub of ricotta, but that’s not the case in my house! These ricotta pound cake cupcakes are the best way to use the last scoop in the tub. The pound cake cupcakes use 3 tablespoons of leftover ricotta, and the lovely ricotta frosting using ⅓ cup. But, here’s the thing: you can make the ricotta pound cake cupcakes and serve them plain. They’re delicious on their own. You could dust powdered sugar on top, or make an easy glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice. But, if you have the time (and the extra ricotta), the whipped ricotta frosting is divine. I may or may not have spread some on a slice of raisin bread. So good! The quality of ricotta matters here; it’s our star ingredient. When I’m feeling decadent, I buy the whole milk ricotta and stir it into hot pasta with vegetables. Such an easy cream sauce! But, back to the cupcakes. It’s always about the cupcakes! This ricotta pound cake cupcakes recipe makes just 4 cupcakes! You can absolutely double or triple it to make a whole pan. It’s easy to do here, because the basic recipe uses just one egg. These cupcakes are dense, just like pound cake should be. Peek at one sliced open to see the cotton-y texture that is somehow dense and light at the same time.
Ingredients
Granulated Sugar. Butter. Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature by slicing and leaving on the counter for 20-30 minutes until soft enough to press. Egg. A classic ingredient in every pound cake recipe; we need the whole egg for this recipe. Ricotta Cheese. I prefer full-fat whole milk ricotta for baking. It’s just so rich and creamy. Almond Extract. Just a small amount; you can use vanilla, lemon, or even coconut extract (leftover from my small coconut cake) in its place. All-Purpose Flour. Baking Powder. Powdered Sugar. Also called confectioner’s sugar or 10x sugar. This is for the ricotta frosting. Orange Zest. Just for garnish, I love orange zest or candied orange. I had some leftover from my Florentine cookies, and decided to use them here, and they’re so pretty!
How to Make Ricotta Pound Cake Cupcakes
Other Ricotta Recipes: Skillet White Chicken Lasagna Skillet Lasagna Freezer Lasagna Pumpkin Gnocchi
Butter: Preferably unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. You can do this by slicing and leaving on the counter for 20-30 minutes until soft enough to press.Ricotta Cheese: Of course, I prefer full-fat whole milk ricotta for baking.Almond Extract: You can actually use any extract in this recipe: vanilla, lemon, or even coconut extract.Orange Zest: This is optional, if you want to add an orange flavor to your ricotta frosting. You can also garnish the cupcakes with candied orange peel.
Wilton 6-cup Muffin Pan
