You’ll love my Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake! It’s a delicious blend of ricotta, mascarpone and chocolate, stuffed between two layers of a buttery crust that will make this the best ricotta cake you’ve ever tasted.
If you’re looking for that extra special dessert, a one of kind creation, my Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake is just what the doctor ordered!
It was one of my extended (Italian) family favorites and one I was lucky enough to learn from my adopted Nonna. This delicious cake which she called a “Torta di Ricotta e Cioccolata” was served over the Christmas and Easter holidays. But this cake is too good to serve just at those times and would quickly become one of your family favorites.
What caught my attention about this torta was the cake itself, I’ve made layer cakes stuffed with cannoli filling before and they were delicious, but they were traditional layer cakes. The difference with this cake was the batter.
This cake will seem more like a scone batter, or even a fruit crisp topping than most cake batters you make. But don’t be worried about how it looks before you bake it. You’ll be rewarded with a moist cake, with a delightful crumb and the perfect blend of flavors.
If you’re looking for a delicious new treat to serve your family or take to your next potluck dinner with friends give my cake a try. Who knows it may even become one of your signature desserts!
If you love traditional Italian desserts you may also like these recipes:
Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
Cake aka crust
- 2-1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 8 oz very cold butter sliced thinly
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp Tuaca or your favorite liquor. Amaretto, Frangelica or Sambucca are good choices.
Filling
- 8 oz ricotta
- 8 oz Mascarpone
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping
- 1/4 cup pistachios Optional
- dust with confectioners sugar Optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients for the crust together, except the butter
- Cut the butter into very thin slices and add it to the mixture working it in gently, you don’t want the butter to blend in, the mixture should be chunky*
- Press half of the mixture gently into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan that has been greased with butter and dusted with flour. (do not mash it down!)
- Mix the ricotta, mascarpone, egg and sugar using a fork.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to blend
- Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust
- Crumble the remainder of the crust over the filling, covering the filling completely*
- Sprinkle pistachios ver the top of the crust
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°
- Torta is best served at room temperature.
Notes
* put the butter in the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes before slicing it.
*you can press down the crust on top of the filling but be very gentle, the crust forms as the butter melts, giving the cake that rustic look.
Nutrition
Wendy Wagenheim
I made this for company last night and it was a hit. HOWEVER, my springform pan was obviously not sealed well and the butter leaked to the bottom of the oven. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until I was preheating it for the dinner I was making and my kitchen filled with smoke. I would highly suggest that anyone making this either place a baking sheet on the rack below or line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch any drippings. I will be making this again and will definitely remember to do this!
Laura Hall-Schordje
I think this recipe sounds amazing. One question, though: I don’t drink so I don’t keep any liqueurs around the house. Could I substitute a different kind of flavoring? I was thinking perhaps 1 t orange extract and 2 t water for the T of liqueur. A friend once made me cannoli with some orange with the chocolate in the filling and it was marvelous.
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Laura
yes you can replace the liqueur with extract, no problem.
Jo
What can I substitute for mascarpone?
Chef Dennis Littley
you can use full-fat Greek Yogurt, cream cheese or all ricotta cheese. Mascarpone has a higher fat content, using the other cheese won’t affect the flavor much just the richness from the fat of the mascarpone.
Alessandra
The cake looks amazing! What do you mean by crumbling the remainder of the crust over the filling?
Chef Dennis Littley
use half of the mixture for the bottom crust then crumble the rest of the mixture on the top of the cake to form the top crust.
Christine
I just finished makeing the torta, and looked at the picture and saw pine nuts on top. No where in your recipe did you mention putting pine nuts on top. Was this a mistake in the printing of the recipe? Or, did your staff add that picture and not realize there were nuts on top? And, no where in your ratings did anyone mention the pine nuts missing.
I’m bringing the cake tonight for a party; here’s hoping it tastes good. Thank goodness for powdered sugar.
Chef Dennis Littley
sorry about that Christine. It was an error on my part. Those are pistachios on top and are optional.
Christine Papp
Hi Chef Dennis,
I brought it to the Holiday Party and got several requests for the recipe. I will not make it again for another party with the pistachios. The cake was delicious. Thanks for your reply.
Christine
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear it everyone enjoyed the cake Christine. I also have a version made with apples you might like https://www.askchefdennis.com/caramel-apple-torte-with-a-dark-caramel-sauce/
Enrique
Chef: can I use Sambucca? Or Amaretto? Thanksmfor,your attention.
Chef Dennis Littley
you certainly can Enrique, thanks for asking!
Michele
Hi Chef, we just made pretty much this identical recipe at a cooking class last month. I planned on making it today the day before thanksgiving and am wondering if it should be refrigerated overnight and then served at room temp or if I should let it cool and cover and keep at room temp entire time? The cheese is what makes me want to chill it but it tasted better at room temp! Happy Thanksgiving!
Chef Dennis Littley
It can be refrigerated as long as you give it enough time to warm up. You could even pop it back into the oven for a few minutes to warm it up and serve it warm.
Natalie
What a lovely cake to serve on afternoons with tea or coffee. It looks delicious. So moist and full of flavor. I will definitely make this recipe soon.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
YUM this cake looks delicious! I love how moist and dense it looks… wow!! I am pretty excited to try this, and just in time for the holidays 🙂
Jo
Ricotta and chocolate, how amazing is that! I love the rich crumbly texture of this torta. Would be perfect for holiday season and I wouldn’t mind gifting this to friends.
Tammy
Dennis this cake is absolutely beautiful! It looks so moist and rich…oh I’d would LOVE a slice right now. Pinning for later <3
Jenni LeBaron
This Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake looks delicious. I imagine this is one of those desserts that you set out and not a single crumb is leftover at the end of the meal. I can’t wait to give this a try!
Jamie
I love the rich texture of this cake and the crumbled crust on top was wonderful! It was gone in no time!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the great review Jamie and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the cake!
Tara
You had me at chocolate! I also love Ricotta in baking. This looks like a delicious take on an Italian classic.
Amanda
Yum! The ricotta makes this such a moist cake! Thanks for sharing.
Kushigalu
Cake looks gorgeous. Perfect for holiday season. Yum!
Frank
Great recipe Chef Dennis and as always excellent advice. Thank you for sharing your blogging tips.
Mari
Wonderful cake recipe, the combination of chocolate and ricotta must be awesome! I can’t wait to taste it. Very helpful Ask Chef Dennis post. Thanks 🙂
Rebecca McCray
Do I need to set the cheesecake into a water bath?
Chef D
hi Rebecca
no you do not, because it really isn’t a cheesecake. The ricotta is in between two layers of this crunchy dough. The most important thing to remember is not to blend the butter into the flour, use xtra cold butter and leave the dough chunky, and when you put half in the springform pan, don’t press it down real hard, just enough to level it up some. Then add your cheese mixture in the center and top with the rest of the chunky dough. I did add pistachio’s to the top of mine, mostly for presentation, but the saltiness did add another element to the cake.
if you have any questions you can always email me too!
Dennis
deedee
I made this last evening. I noticed in the directions, it does not say anything about when to add the egg for the filling.
Taking this to the office for a party tomorrow… stay tuned for comments
Chef D
thanks for letting me know, I’ll fix that, it should be added, while your mixing the ricotta and mascarpone together, so it blends smoothly.
Let me know how everyone likes it!
deedee
Wow! Great dessert/ looked exactly like the picture. Everyone had a great big smile after the first bite!
Chef D
glad to here it worked out! I made it with an apple filling instead of ricotta and it turned out great, I just increased the cake part by half.
Bunkycooks
This is great advice, Chef. I so agree that we do need to not give up what we work so hard for just a few boxes of pasta or cookies. I cannot believe some of the things that bloggers will do for companies with no hesitation. This cheapens all of our work and makes it more difficult to command any kind of compensation for our efforts.
I wish you all the best in 2012 and hope that your blog continues to grow!!
Gwen
Chef D
hi Irma
thanks so much for the kind words, it was truly a delicious cake! I put pistachio’s on top as the garnish and actually added them about midway through the baking process so they would toast. The saltiness of the pistachio’s really added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate.
Thanks for asking!
Dennis
Roxana GreenGirl {A little bit of everything}
This post came in at the perfect time. With the arrival of the new year, setting new goals, I know almost all the (food) bloggers set some goals for their blogs, may they be higher readership, better $ deals, more awards and the list goes on.
I hope I’ll have as much fun blogging this year as much as i did in 2011. No fun = no blogging.
Happy New Year Chef!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
This cake look so delicious, Chef! My grandma makes a cake very similar to this and it’s so good! And thanks again for giving us such great advice, this topic is very timely for me right now as I have been thinking about these exact things!
Margaret Murphy Tripp
That cake looks moist, delicious and marvelous. I happy to have an excess of ricotta right now, too 🙂 yay!
Kathy
This cake looks fabulous!! Something I would make…ricotta, chocolate and mascarpone…Yum!
Thanks for a great recipe and a great post! Very inspiring! Happy New Year!
Becky
This is excellent advice in such a timely manner, as always. There is much “food” for thought. Thank you for so much for this column, because I learn so much, every time I read it.
I love the rustic look of this cake, and I’m sure that it taste as good as it looks!
Gerry @Foodness Gracious
Excellent advice again Chef! You should compile all of these posts and publish a food bloggers guide book!!
Take care…
Marsha @ The Harried Cook
Happy New Year, Chef Dennis! I’ve been away from blogging for a while, and I look forward to browsing through all your yummy recipes that I’ve missed… this cake looks sooooo good! 🙂
anna
ooo wow, what a gorgeous cake! i love cannolis, but man. if i had to choose, i would probably pick the cake! 🙂
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
Dennis, that cake looks incredible and I can’t wait to try it out for myself.
Chef D
Thanks Carrie, it was really good! Let me know if you make it
Ann
This is a very timely post – I suppose it’s natural to think of goals this time of year! This is the first year in a while that I’ve actually set myself “goals” and they are all to do with the blog.
Some of them are private and I won’t discuss them, but they are there. There are others that I’m happy to chat about. My BIGGEST goal this year is to have FUN! I’ve been having a blast blogging, but I want to let a little more of ME shine through in my posts. Personal stories, a bit of humor, that sort of thing. I’ve had 4 posts in the New Year and two of them were the most fun I’ve had since I started! …and I’d like to grow – as I suspect everyone would.
As for you wearing your chef coat: If you walked up to me and said, “I’m Chef Dennis”….prepared to be hugged and then I’d grab your arm and introduce you to Honey Bunny….even he knows who you are! Around here? You’re a household name!
torviewtoronto
thank you for being a friend you are already a household name and a good friend to ask and not feel like you asked the wrong thing 🙂
delicious looking filling and cake
Happy new year to you and family
regards Akheela
Chef D
Thank you Akheela, Happy New Year!
Jen
My mom always used to say, “If you don’t believe in you, who else will?” Great advice as always Chef!
[email protected]
Before I even get to the cake part of this (she says as she wipes up drool from the keyboard) let me say that I loved the essay part of this post. Your words are helpful, as always and it’s great to hear form a blogger who has been doing this longer how to keep ones head out of the clouds while still not giving up the idea of being that “household name”.
As for the cake…. ummm… oh my. I am a cannoli FREAK and love using ricotta in both sweet and savory dishes and this sounds just fantastic. I have some ricotta left over from making lasagna and was contemplating what to use it for. Now I know what to use it for 😀
Chef D
Thank Janet, it was a really good cake!
Brooks
Dennis, this ACD segment coud not have come at a better time—especially as we plot a course into a new year. Whether its making new goals or recommitting to existing ones, solid footing begins with the voice and being true to it.
Your cake is fabulous…perhaps you should send one to Ellen! BTW, I’d recognize you without the chef coat OR a ponytail! 😉
Chef D
Thank Brooks! My ponytail days are long behind me….sigh, when I use to have hair!
Janet Rudolph
What’s not to love? This cake has everything I adore.. Can’t wait to make it!
Chef D
Thank you Janet, It was a really tasty cake, a great combination of flavors!
Maggie @MaggieCooks
I really like the “ask Chef Dennis” section! Thank you for your words of wisdom!
and that ricotta cake looks yummy! 🙂
Happy New year!!
Chef D
Thanks Maggie, Happy New Year!
Cucina49
I just wanted to say how much I value your “Ask Chef Dennis” columns. I always look forward to reading them!
Chef D
Thank you so much, it means a lot to me to hear you say that!
RavieNomNoms
Well said Chef! Another winning recipe…it looks to die for. I bet that ricotta gives that cake such a smooth texture!
Chef D
Thanks Raven, it was delcious!
Tickled Red
Absolutely delish way to use that left over cannoli mix, goodness I have to make this! But most of all I loved your words of encouragement, if by chance we finally get to meet I won’t need the coat 😀 I hope that you have the best time ever in this new year darlin ‘ xoxo {hugs}
Chef D
Thank you, Hopefully we will get to meet in person! Happy New Year!
Elyse @The Cultural Dish
Oh I love ricotta cake!! This is one of my favorite Italian treats!
Anna
I need to make this cake! Love everything about it, especially the filling. Great post, as always, Chef!
Amy's Cooking Adventures
This looks delicious! It is always nice when a recipe gone wrong yields something even better!
Charlie
Chef Dennis:
Bless you!
My favorite kind of cheesecake………made with ricotta and marscapone. MMMMMMM!
I will be contacting you, but real busy right now.
Charlie
Chef D
Thanks Charlie, I’m here if you need me!
Dara
Ricotta pie is my favorite dessert – but I’ve never had ricotta cake! Thanks Chef Dennis for expanding my dessert worldview.
Ask Chef Dennis is required reading for all food bloggers. Every time, I get tips from your writing as well as the helpful comments. Keep up the good work!
Isabelle @ Crumb
What a gorgeous cake! I love cannoli, but they always feel like too much work, so this cake sounds like a perfect compromise for me – all that delicious taste, and much less effort. 🙂 Filing this one away for a day when I want a nice cake for company.
PS – Great tips on setting goals, and very much on my mind now that we’re starting off a new year. Need to sit down and put my thinking cap on. 🙂
Joan Nova
Another thoughtful post…I love what I do and I made so little $$, I recently took all ads off my site. It was a very liberating experience.
Your ricotta cheesecake looks delicious…I like it so much better than cream cheese.
Chef D
Thanks Joan, I think if we did this just for the money, it would be a very lonely blogosphere!
Jess Wakasugi {Life's Simple Measures}
This cake looks and sounds so interesting! I’ve never used ricotta before but I’ve seen it in several recipes, so I know it must be great. And if you use it, it surely is 🙂 I pinned this recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Suzi
Another wonderful and helpful Ask Chef Dennis post and You are a household name in our house. Thanks and the cake looks heavenly. Happy New Year!
Chef D
Thank you Suzi! Happy New Year!
Lauren at Keep it Sweet
Great message, Dennis. Also great way to use up extra filling! The cake looks delicious.
Tiffany
LOVELY cake! I can only imagine how moist and fluffy the ricotta made it! And great ask Chef Dennis write up. I am ALL about setting goals and use the New Year (when I switched to WordPress) and my blogoversary as times to make ‘big’ changes and to reassess my goals. Thanks for being a great part of the community!!!
Chef D
Thank you Tiffany, I have been having a great time and have made so many good friends!
Cher
Thank you for sharing topics like this – especially the comment that it is ok to blog just to have fun…
Chef D
No matter what you should always have fun, even if it is a business…but definitely ok to do it just for fun!
[email protected]
This was a great read, leaving me with some important things to think about. Also, the texture of the cake does look amazing, well worth a try-Yum!
Chef D
Thanks Tina, it was delicious!
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time
Wow, Chef. That cake is so moist and tender, when I saw it at first I thought it was a cheesecake. You did find a massively wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Alida's Kitchen
You are so inspiring and uplifting. Thank you for your insight. And your cake looks incredible – absolutely beautiful picture. Happy New Year, Chef Dennis!
Emily @ Life on Food
I have been playing with some blog goals in my head but this definitely makes me want to sit down and draft some of them out.
Your cake looks marvelous! The first thing I thought of when I saw the title was a cannoli cake. I gave myself a pat on the back when I was right. It seriously looks like a little piece of heaven.
Kiri W.
Oh my, what a delectable, moist yet crumbly looking cake! 🙂 Perfect.
Thank you for your insights, too. I am definitely on the for-fun side of things, but there sure is time invested etc. Lots to ponder!
Jill @ MadAboutMacarons
Dennis, what a delicious looking ricotta cake – I love the texture! As always, appreciate your words of blogging wisdom, too. I’m asking myself this right now, in fact, as I earn zilch from blogging and much that I’m having fun writing and taking pics, it’s ‘work’ and would be so good to earn a little something since earnings from being an author isn’t what it seems! Yep, let’s think goals in 2012! Thanks, Chef.
Alyssa
That cake looks to-die-for! What another great, Ask Chef Dennis. I think from time to time, even those of us who are doing this just for fun have to re-evaulate our goals and what it is we are hoping to get out of our blogs. Great food for thought! 🙂
Elin
Chef Dennis…thanks for another awesome post ! That is the reason why I am here…valuable advices and good food 🙂 May 2012 brings you to greater height as you enjoy your blogging 🙂 This cake looks delish !
Cheers,
Elin
anne
Well said , Chef Dennis 😀 & your cake looks wonderful !
Hyosun Ro
Chef Dennis – This cake is right up my alley! I love ricotta and mascarpone. Thanks again for the valuable and timely advice as we start a new year of blogging! It really hits home.
Terra
Your cake looks wonderful, perfect with a cup of coffee:-) Thank you for your words, I agree 100%!
Take care, Terra
balvinder
First of all Happy New year! Your advice is helpful to new bloggers like me. I am not sure about other people but I started blogging when I did not find enough gluten free recipes on the internet for Indian cooking. Now, one of my husband’s friend was recently diagnosed to be gluten intolerant. When I gave his wife the white chapatti flour which I made it myself she was very thankful and asked for the recipe. That’s what I want from my blog. Viewership.
Your ricotta chocolate chip cake looks so dense and beautiful. I love ricotta and mascarpone cheese.
Sandra
You’re awesome, thank you.
Amalia
Awesome advice Chef Dennis! You’re totally right about everything you said; setting realistic goals, finding your voice, and placing value in yourself. Thank you for your words of experience and wisdom 🙂 And this cake looks amazing! I love ricotta and combining it with chocolate chips in a cake is genius!
Jessica | Oh Cake
Great words of advice, Chef. Back when I was working in higher ed with students I always talked about making SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. I’m now trying to apply that to myself.
For me it has also helped to have close (non-blogger) friends to keep my perspective balanced. I recently lamented to a friend that I wanted to have a specific (lofty goal) number of readers and was down that I didn’t. She reminded me that when I started I was hoping for ANY readers and now I had more specific goals. It was excellent perspective.
I definitely find your posts helpful and I agree – we need to value ourselves for others to find value in us.
Happy New Year!
Kim - Liv Life
As always, well said, Chef!! And a gorgeous cake photo to boot!! Happy New Year!!