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Italian Love Cake

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Italian Love Cake make it for someone you adore
Here’s the thing, I have fifteen boxes of yellow cake mix in my cupboard. Don’t ask why or pass judgement I just do. I needed to do something with them so had been on the hunt for new and fun ways to use cake mix. What a calling right?

I found this recipe printed on a piece of paper…no original origin. The name hooked me so I had to make it…thank you to whomever came up with it.

This cake was simple to prepare and very delicious. The bottom is a generous layer of sweetened ricotta cheese giving it a sponge-like texture. You have to love a good sponge-cake to love this recipe. I admit I do. 

The cinnamon-sugar topping and the moist cake in the middle are just more bonus features this cake has to offer. 

This makes a large cake, so serve it to a crowd.  With some espresso of course.

Let’s make it…


Here’s what you will need for the cake:  Yellow cake mix, eggs, whole milk ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract and Limoncello (optional).


You will first need to drain your ricotta cheese by wrapping it in a double layer of cheesecloth. Place it in a colander and weigh it down with 4 or 5 heavy cans from your pantry. Drain over a bowl in the refrigerator for an hour.


Prepare your cake mix according to instructions on the box. This will most likely include three eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1-1/4 cups water. You can replace a 1/4 cup of the water with a 1/4 cup Limoncello (as I did), Frangelico or Anisette. This is optional. Just use all water if you don’t want to add liqueur. Set aside.


In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat until smooth and fluffy, 8 large eggs, drained ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract. 


Grease and flour a 10 x 15 glass pan (I used Baker’s Joy). Pour the prepared cake mix into the pan and spread evenly.  Carefully pour the ricotta mixture over the cake mix. DO NOT BLEND THE TWO BATTERS TOGETHER. Very, carefully smooth the ricotta mixture out.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


While the cake is cooling make the topping:  All-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, ground cinnamon and table salt.


In a food processor blend 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Pour the mixture into a bowl and with a pastry cutter, cut in 6 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter until the mixture looks like wet sand.


Let the cake cool for 1/2 an hour then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar crumbles over the cake.

Italian Love Cake is so great for Valentines Day
Of course I had to use my biscuit cutter to make round pieces.


But you can leave it square.


I think I like the rounds though.  Any way you cut it, this will be good. 

Print Recipe

Italian Love Cake

Recipe from: | Serves: 14

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 package cake mix (yellow or lemon)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 11 large eggs, divided
  • 3 lbs whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (not imitation)
  • water
  • Limoncello, Frangelico or Anisette (optional)

Topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" squares, chilled

Directions

  • You will first need to drain your ricotta cheese by wrapping it in a double layer of cheesecloth. Place it in a colander and weigh it down with 4 or 5 heavy cans from your pantry. Drain over a bowl in the refrigerator for an hour.
  • Prepare your cake mix according to instructions on the box. This will most likely include three eggs, 1/3 vegetable oil and 1-1/4 cups water. You can replace a 1/4 cup of the water with a 1/4 cup Limoncello (as I did), Frangelico or Anisette. This is optional. Just use all water if you don't want to add liqueur. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat until smooth and fluffy, 8 large eggs, drained ricotta cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
  • Grease and flour a 10 x 15 glass pan (I used Baker's Joy). Pour the prepared cake mix into the pan and spread evenly. Carefully pour the ricotta mixture over the cake mix. DO NOT BLEND THE TWO BATTERS TOGETHER. Very, carefully smooth the ricotta mixture out.
  • Place in a 350 degree F oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • While the cake is cooling make the topping.
  • In a food processor blend flour, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt. Pour the mixture into a bowl and with a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture looks like wet sand.
  • Let the cake cool for 1/2 an hour then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar crumbles over the cake.
  • Serve with some gelato or espresso and enjoy!

Other Italian Sponge Cakes You Might Enjoy:
Rustic Italian Sponge Cake with Cheesecake Filling
Little Italian Cakes Filled with Lemon Pastry Cream
Sicilian Ricotta Cake with Pistachio Marzipan



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Comments

  4. Valentine’s Day is mostly a non-event with us, too close to our aniversary. And for that all my wife wants me to make are reservations. I’m giving my wife something from Tiffany’s, already iin the house, and I’m getting a professional meat grinder.

    Reply

  6. I am so happy to hear someone else is a cake “Hoarder”! You can never be too prepared is what I say! I love the fact that you cut them out in round little cakes – how sweet is that! They look absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  9. These cakes look fantastic—any cake with ricotta and Limoncello (maybe even Grand Marnier?) has to be awesome! Re: your magazine recipe, I just made a beloved flourless chocolate cake for a girlfriend’s BD on Saturday. I will be making it again for our Valentine’s Day party. Chocolate and love go together, right? 😉

    Shirley

    Reply

  18. Wow-those look devine! I honestly don’t know that I have ever had sponge cake, but this would be a great reason to try it! Unfortunately we work Valentines day so I don’t know that dinner will be very romantic in the lunchroom at work. Sniff. Ohh and Limoncello-just pour me a glass!

    Reply

  20. Love the crummy topping!
    3 lbs.–that’s a lotta ricotta. I really just wanted to say that because it rhymed so nicely!
    Oh, I know why you cut circles–because then there were scraps leftover! 😉

    Reply

  24. Yum!

    My mother-in-law was recently in the hospital with pneumonia. We were terribly worried about her, so what did we do? We convinced my father-in-law to come home and cook hamburgers for the rest of us. Best burgers in the world, by the way.

    Anyway, being the only girl in my mother-in-law’s kitchen, I started looking around for various things that we needed, and what did I find? About 12 boxes of yellow cake mix.

    I’m guessing that really good cooks keep several boxes handy…just in case.

    Not surprisingly, there are NONE in my cabinet.

    Happy Monday!

    Reply

  25. Those look amazing, so moist and beautiful! Italian based recipes are wonderful for including cheeses that take away the too sweet factor from desserts. Can’t wait to try this.

    Reply

  35. This looks like absolute heaven. I will not be doing a Valentine’s Day meal, but I usually take something sweet and decadent to work. Usually, it’s red velvet cake, but I’m finding that people aren’t as fond of it as I am. Maybe this is THE thing!

    Reply

  36. I make a killer bacardi rum cake using cake mix…the moistest cake ever. I have never put a topping with flour as an ingredient that wasn’t baked…does the residual heat from the cake melt it down a bit?

    Reply

  38. i would like you to spread some of this love my way, please and thank you.
    and there’s nothing wrong with having a few boxes of cake mix in the cupboard. 15? i won’t judge. 🙂

    Reply

  41. 11 eggs! Now that’s a rich recipe! And since I buy chocolate cake mix in restaurant sized boxes by the case – yes, a total of 30 pounds at a time – I understand your 11 yellow cake mixes. You need what you need!

    Reply

  47. Oooooh, these look like a MUCH more gourmet version of a Tastykake treat I loved as a child (and probably still as an adult, just haven’t seen ’em lately!)

    Wasn’t limoncello the elixir that got Danny DeVito (and George Clooney the night before) all swacked before his appearance on The View (or was it Today?)

    Reply

  53. Finally! Someone how has as much cake mix in her pantry as I do! *lol* I buy it when it’s on sale because I’m forever using it for something…be it cookies, or cupcakes, cakes or what have you.

    Oh and it doesn’t get much better than Limoncello. I love love love that stuff.

    If I weren’t already making some of your other recently posted recipes for the twins’ 19th birthday, I’d make this! My daughter, especially, would love it!

    Reply

  55. I know better than to come to your blog right before dinner. (*drool*GROWL!*)

    I’ll put this on my list (which keeps on expanding . . . let’s just hope it isn’t infectious for waistlines — how can it not be??)

    YUMMY!!!

    Reply

  68. My contribution to the yellow cake mix overload.

    Peach Cobbler

    1 13 x 9 cake pan
    1 box yellow cake mix
    1 lg can of peaches
    1 stick of butter melted

    drain can of peaches ( you can leave some of the juice)
    put in bottom of cake pan
    open yellow cake mix and spread evenly over peaches and then pour butter evenly over the top.

    bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes.

    easy peach cobbler

    Reply

  76. Statcy
    Thanks for your comment, you’re the only one ( out of 100 OMG’s! )that offered constructive response of actually making the cake and the response to it.

    Reply

  78. Cathy, I can’t wait to make this! …and eat all the pieces left over after I cut it into pretty shapes.
    This weekend: Krysta’s chocolate tart. Next weekend: Your Italian Love cake for after the ballet. Thanks!

    Reply

  79. Sorry to say that the crumb topping didn’t brown up nice like your pictures. I even put the topping on after letting the cake cool for only 20 minutes. Maybe next time I’ll put the topping on the cake during the last 15 minutes of baking.

    Reply

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