This classic chocolate cake has a *SECRET INGREDIENT*: ricotta cheese! It enhances the chocolate flavor and makes the cake batter silky smooth. Creating wonderfully moist chocolate cake layers! A simple chocolate frosting adds even more chocolate flavor, but you could easily add a vanilla buttercream frosting instead!

Italian Chocolate Cake Recipe

Originally published in 2015, this simple chocolate cake has been a #1 recipe for over 10 years! Please enjoy updated photos and added weight measurements in the recipe box!

My sweet tooth weakness has always been chocolate! Chocolate cake, of course, being my main squeeze and master of my heart! And while there’s nothing wrong with a tried and true simple chocolate cake. The Italian girly in me wanted to pay homage to my roots.

So I decided to make an Italian inspired chocolate cake recipe! Using ricotta cheese in the batter and frosting makes this chocolate cake extra rich and delicious. Once you try it, you may ditch your old recipe for good! And my Italian relatives love calling this our “Italian chocolate cake”, so there’s that!

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake

• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture. I don’t suggest using brown sugar, but it’ll work in a pinch!
• All-Purpose Flour: For best results, weight your flour with a digital kitchen scale! Or fluff the flour up in the bag and lightly spoon it into the measuring cups. Never pack flour into a measuring cup!
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: This is not the same thing as Dutch process cocoa or hot cocoa powder. You want pure unsweetened cocoa powder. Ghiradelli brand is my favorite!
• Baking Soda: Helps the cake batter spread in the cake pans.
• Baking Powder: Helps the cake batter rise and become light and fluffy!
• Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor!
• Eggs: Add moisture and volume, which helps the cake layers rise in the oven. Be sure your eggs are at room temperature before use.
• Ricotta Cheese: Instead of sour cream or milk, we use ricotta cheese! Adds tons of moisture and a subtle tang!
• Oil: I like using a neutral oil like canola oil or vegetable oil. But olive oil or coconut oil (melted) will work if you don’t mind added oil flavor.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the chocolate flavor while adding signature rich vanilla notes!
• Boiling Water: You can use boiling water OR freshly made hot coffee to bloom the unsweetened cocoa powder!

How to Make Chocolate Cake Batter

1. Prep Cake Pans: Preheat the oven at least 30 minutes before you plan on baking. Generously spray cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
2. Make Cake Batter: Combine the dry ingredients until well combined. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients. Combine ingredients (except boiling water!) and mix well to combine.
3. Bloom the Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Pour the boiling water into the cake batter and mix until evenly combined.
4. Bake the Cake Layers: Divide the cake batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Then place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake layer comes out clean.
5. Cool the Cake Layers: Allow the cake layers to cool for 10 minutes in the cake pans. Then carefully remove the cake layers from the cake pans. And place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Never attempt to cover a hot – or even slightly warm – cake later with chocolate frosting! The chocolate buttercream will melt everywhere. Always cool completely before frosting with chocolate buttercream!

Let’s Make Chocolate Frosting

• Butter: Unsalted butter works best, but salted butter will work in a pinch. Don’t add anymore salt to the chocolate frosting if using salted butter. Make sure butter is at room temperature before making the frosting or it won’t get creamy.
• Confectioners’ Sugar: This cannot be substituted with any other sugar! Make sure you sift your confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar) before use. Otherwise your chocolate frosting could be lumpy.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: You can use the same cocoa powder you use for the cake batter. But you can also use Dutch process cocoa for extra chocolatey and rich chocolate buttercream. Sift the cocoa before use for silky smooth frosting.
• Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor! Vanilla extract enhances the chocolate flavor and adds it’s own signature vanilla flavor.
• Salt: Just a pinch balances sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor in the chocolate frosting!
• Ricotta Cheese: A fun creamy addition to the chocolate frosting! Use whatever ricotta cheese you used in the cake batter.

Assemble Like a Pro

Once your cakes have completely cooled and your chocolate frosting it’s time to assemble your beautiful layer cake! This is only a 2 layer cake so the assembly isn’t too much work! Here’s how I do it:

• Use a serrated knife to trim the tops of the cakes. You don’t have to trim a lot, just enough to smooth the surface. A flat surface is best for frosting and stacking.
• Dust off any excess crumbs. You can set them aside for eating or decorating the cake.
• Place one layer of cake on a dessert plate or cake plate. Add a cup or so of frosting to the middle of the cake layer. Using a large icing spatula, spread the frosting across the circle until it’s evenly covered.
• Place the second layer of cake on top of the frosting. Repeat the frosting method, placing a cup or so of chocolate frosting on top, and spreading across the cake.
• Use the remaining chocolate frosting to cover the sides of the cake.

Decorate Your Cake

When it comes to decorating your chocolate ricotta cake, the world is your oyster! Here are a few ideas:

• Cover in chocolate shavings. You can make them small, like I did in my photos. Or, go BIG and bold! You can make giant chocolate shavings and place them in the middle of the cake.
• Sprinkles are always a fun and classic choice! Rainbow sprinkles would be fun for a child’s birthday. Or chocolate sprinkles to enhance the chocolate flavor even more.
• Fresh raspberries would look stunning on top of this cake! If you do use fresh berries, I don’t suggest adding them too early. Instead, add them right before serving so their moisture doesn’t seep into the frosting.
• Cake crumbs around the sides and edges. Remember when I said to save your cake crumbs? I like to finely crumble them up and press them around the edge of the cake.

There’s no right or wrong way to decorate your cake! So just have fun with it and do what feels good to you! And if you have any decorating ideas I didn’t mention above, let me know in the comments. I love hearing your ideas and inspirations!

Store Leftover Chocolate Cake

• Because this cake contains ricotta in the frosting, I suggest storing leftovers in the fridge.
• Cover the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Take out of the fridge at least 30 minutes – or up to 2 hours – before serving. This allows the cake to soften and taste better.

You can also freeze leftover cake! Wrap individual cake layers tightly twice in plastic wrap, then place them in a labeled freezer bag. Place in the freezer for up to 2 months! Thaw in the fridge overnight, then let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving!

This is truly the perfect layer cake for special occasions or dinner parties! Especially if you’re hosting a group of chocolate lovers!

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

• Super Decadent Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Devil’s Food Cake
• Death by Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Cupcakes

All these chocolate cake recipes are worth busting your cake pans out for! Let me know which one speaks to your chocolate loving heart the most!

Chocolate Ricotta Layer Cake

Ashley Manila

Supremely moist and packed with real chocolate flavor, this Chocolate Ricotta Layer Cake is a must for chocolate lovers!

4.77 from 47 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Inactive Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Italian

Servings 1 – 9″ Layer Cake, 8-10 slices

Ingredients

 

For the chocolate ricotta cake:

• 2 cups 399g) granulated sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (84g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups (284g) (whole milk) ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (113ml) vegetable oil or sub melted coconut oil/vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon (14ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (227g) freshly boiled hot water or hot coffee

For the chocolate ricotta frosting:

• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 3 and 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
• 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (57g) whole milk ricotta cheese

Instructions

 

For the chocolate ricotta cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°(F). Generously spray two 9-inch round baking pans with non-stick baking spray, set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• In a separate bowl combine the eggs, egg yolk, ricotta cheese, oil and vanilla, mix until completely combined. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated.
• Pour in hot water and continue mixing until completely combined; about 1 minute. The batter will quite thin.
• Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 32 minutes, or until wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
• Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from pans and transferring to a cooling rack; cool cakes completely before frosting.

For the chocolate ricotta frosting:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter on medium-speed until completely smooth; about 3 minutes.
• Turn the mixer off and sift the powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. With the mixer on the lowest speed and mix until the sugar/cocoa have been absorbed by the butter; about 2 minutes.
• Increase mixer speed to medium; add in vanilla extract, salt, and ricotta cheese; beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting appears a little too thin, add a little more sugar; If your frosting needs to be thinner, add additional ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Frost cooled cakes as desired.

Video

Notes

This recipe should be followed exactly for best results.

Keyword cake, chocolate cake, chocolate recipes, chocolate frosting

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