We are exactly 10 days away from Thanksgiving, and I’m already getting into celebratory mode! And this maple apple ricotta cake is the perfect way to get in the fall, festive mood. It’s a dense, buttery cake with hints of brown butter, maple glazed apples, creamy ricotta cheese, and vanilla. So delicious with a hot cup of coffee to start or end the day on a sweet note!
For a while now I’ve read about Bon Appetit Magazine’s raspberry ricotta cake. It constantly shows up on their roundup lists of “reader’s favorite” recipes. With one look at the simple, yet deliberate ingredient list, I knew it would be a keeper.
While I never got around to making the raspberry version, I did put a fall spin on it with this maple apple ricotta cake. And it is to die for.
The main thing I love about this cake is the texture. It is somewhat dense and has this “creamy” center that reminds me of custard. It’s also not too sweet, so it’s a great option for breakfast. Served warm and drizzled with a little maple syrup? SO perfect.
It’s studded with caramelized maple apples, a swirl of brown butter, and creamy ricotta cheese. I am absolutely loving ricotta cheese in everything right now, both sweet and savory dishes.
I think this would make for the best Thanksgiving breakfast to start the day on a really lovely note (even though it will be a toss-up between this pumpkin bread), or even for an afternoon snack with a hot cup of coffee.
maple apple ricotta cake – a few tips
- Make sure to add all of the maple syrup from the skillet into the cake batter along with the apples.
- A precise measurement of flour is key here for the right cake texture, so I’ve included the weight amount by grams. If you have a kitchen scale, definitely use it!
- Use whole milk ricotta cheese. Part skim is not as creamy and tends to be clumpy.
- Don’t over-mix the batter.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven and test it after 40 minutes. You can always bake it a little longer if needed, but you don’t want to over-bake it and dry it out.
I hope this helps – enjoy!
PrintMaple Apple Ricotta Cake
a custard-like maple apple ricotta cake
serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 12oz thinly sliced apples (approximately 2 large apples)
- 1 pinch of salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 stick (4oz) butter
- 1 ½ cups (180g) AP flour
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups (12oz) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- raw sugar, for garnish
- warm maple syrup, to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9” cake pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the apples. Season with a pinch of salt. Let the apple sauté until starting to caramelize, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer the apples & syrup to a bowl. Let cool slightly. Wipe out the skillet.
- Add the butter to the skillet and let melt over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until browned and fragrant. Let cool slightly.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, crack and beat the eggs. Whisk in the ricotta cheese, browned butter, and vanilla extract.
- In two batches, use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth (don’t over-mix). Lastly, fold in ¾ of the apples and all of the maple syrup. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Arrange the remaining apples across the cake.
- Bake the cake on the middle rack in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lift the parchment paper to retrieve the cake.
- Cut into slices. Serve warm or at room temperature with a sprinkle of raw sugar and a drizzle of warm maple syrup.
This cake is delicious! Easy to make and so, so good! I will peel the apples next time and it will be perfection!
I made this yesterday, the cake was perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
How will this keep? Refrigerated? Wanting to eat this for breaktast
I typically keep it out at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. It lasts for about 3-4 days. I hope you love it!
Oh my, this looks absolutely to die for. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
You are WELCOME! I am so glad you’re following along. I hope you get to try this cake! Have the best weekend.
Another question (to the one I left as a reply above) – how thinly do you recommend slicing the apples? And am I right that you left the skins on? Thank you so much!
Yes, skins on! I kind of like the extra texture in there. You’ll want to cut them fairly thin for this. They shouldn’t be wedges, but rather slices about 1/8″ thick. I like to take the apple and cut large chunks off of it around the core, and then slice them from there. Let me know if this helps!!
I just made this and I think it turned out pretty well – but I wasn’t sure if I should’ve poured all the syrup from the apples into the batter? I didn’t really get the custard-y center and I wonder if that’s why.
Oh, I would love the answer to the same question! This looks like it could be lovely to make, so I’m curious to know the right steps to follow.
See answer above 🙂 I hope you get to try this!! One of my favorites for fall.
Yes, definitely pour in all of the syrup as well! It’ll help with sweetness and texture. But it also sounds like you might have over-mixed the batter. That would affect the texture the most. Let me know if you get to try it again!
Could I use a spring form pan for this?
Hey Jessa! I haven’t tried it in a spring form, but I’m pretty positive it would work well. I might create a new flavor of this same cake soon and will have to give it a try. Let me know if you try it out!
What kind of apples do you recommend for this – sugar/acid balance?
I used Braeburn apples for this cake if you can find them. They are super crisp and don’t become mushy when baked. Honeycrisps would also work well. Anything that holds their shape while baking. Hope this helps!
Awesome- I didn’t know some apples hold their texture while baking- must be the cell walls? ?
Thx!