Italian Love Cake
This easy Italian Love Cake recipe features layers of chocolate cake, creamy ricotta filling, and chocolate pudding topping. It's a classic crowd-pleaser with a magical twist!
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- medium bowl
- Whisk
- small bowl
- zester
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix Ingredients listed on the box but substitute the water with 1 cup cooled brewed espresso or strong coffee
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup cold milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping thawed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the package directions, but replace the water with cooled espresso. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- In another bowl, beat together the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Carefully spoon the mixture over the cake batter. Don’t swirl—just spread evenly. The layers will flip during baking!
- Bake for 1 hour or until the cake is set in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk until thickened (about 2 minutes). Gently fold in the whipped topping and lemon zest until smooth.
- Spread the pudding mixture evenly over the cooled cake. Sprinkle it with toasted sliced almonds.
Notes
Refrigerate the cake for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving to let the layers fully set.