A Refreshingly Easy Lemon Ricotta Poundcake Recipe for Mom

In celebration of Mother's Day weekend—and with Kristen cooking alongside her mom during quarantine—I asked them to share this Lemon Ricotta Poundcake that caught my eye on Kristen’s Instagram. Read on for Betty's heartfelt thoughts on scratch cooking, complemented by her daughter's stunning photographs. The recipe awaits you at the end—it’s one I plan to cherish for years.

I believe you’ll find this piece as touching as I did. Here’s Betty:

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the saying, “more is caught than taught.” This definitely applies to the love of cooking and homesteading, which has been passed down in my family. I was fortunate to spend summers at my grandparents’ small farm. For Grandmom, scratch cooking was essential; she was a hardworking Czech woman who appreciated a good deal. My brother, David, and I would search her kitchen for store-bought items, but we rarely found any. We joked about it a lot. In a world filled with convenience foods, the effort involved in scratch cooking seems almost outdated.

However, as I've matured, I’ve realized that the rewards of scratch cooking far outweigh any time spent. It gives us shared moments, teaches the value of hard work, and fosters a connection with the land that nourishes us.

For Grandmom, her kitchen was filled with homemade butter, cheese, milk, cream, bread, eggs, and vegetables, whether fresh or canned from the previous harvest. Her freezer held meats from the cattle Granddad raised, and she knew where to find wild turkey. There was always a freshly baked treat for her grandkids; David and I happily devoured every warm kolache she made. My mom inherited this love of cooking, and many of her traditions continue. At this moment, while gazing at my summer garden, I wish I’d inherited Grandmom’s skill in canning excess produce. Just seeing a vibrant garden reminds me of her and her legacy.

At the farm, making a mess in the kitchen was never frowned upon; it was simply part of the process that led to delightful treats. Any mess could be tossed into the scrap bucket for the chickens or composted for next year’s crops. In these challenging times, I cling to this notion.

While kitchen messes are trivial compared to the world's current state, I understand that this turmoil can also lead to growth and unity.

I’ve yet to meet someone without a silver lining amidst this all.

This season has gifted me extra time to dive back into cheesemaking, with trips to local farms for fresh raw milk and updates on the “girls” (the cows, who now have names!). My biggest blessing has been having my daughter, Kristen, spend two months isolating at our ranch, allowing us to create more memories in the kitchen. After one of our raw milk runs and making Gouda, we found ourselves with an extra gallon of milk that needed to be transformed into fresh ricotta. Remember the story about the mouse and the cookie? Well, if you give Czech women fresh homemade ricotta, they’ll definitely whip up something sweet and springy. Kristen suggested adding candied lemon slices to my original lemon ricotta poundcake recipe, and it took the cake to a whole new level. Plus, the remaining ricotta became blueberry pancakes the next morning.

While I wish I could ease the suffering of many during this time, I’m doing what I know best: turning lemons into lemon pound cake.

Now, let’s get to the recipe for Betty Lou’s lemon ricotta poundcake…

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Description

This Lemon Ricotta Poundcake is the Baking Project Your Weekend Needs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 small to medium eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup ricotta (store-bought or homemade – see below)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Zest from one lemon
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

for the topping:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

for the candied lemon slices:

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Homemade Ricotta

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• you will also need: cheesecloth, a colander, and a large stock pot

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and incorporate the ricotta, lemon juice, zest, and extracts. Combine the dry ingredients and fold them into the wet mixture until smooth. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack.
2. While the cake cools, prepare Candied Lemon Slices by heating sugar, water, and lemon juice in a 9” skillet until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices and simmer over low heat until the liquid thickens into syrup and the lemons soften, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to prevent browning, flipping if needed. Remove and lay on parchment paper.
3. Mix the topping ingredients well. Once the cake has cooled, spread the glaze over the top and decorate with candied lemon slices.

Homemade Ricotta

1. In a large pot, slowly heat 1 gallon of milk to a boil, being careful not to scald it. Once boiling, stir in the vinegar (or a mix of vinegar and lemon juice) and let it sit for about 5 minutes to form curds. Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain the mixture through it.
2. Let it drain to your desired consistency. For the pound cake, keep it creamy, avoiding drying it out.

Notes

*notes from Betty Lou: When making ricotta for the pound cake, I enjoy using ½ cider vinegar and ½ lemon juice. Ensure the ricotta is completely cooled before adding it to the cake batter.