Description
Italian Love Cake is an easy yet impressive layered dessert made with chocolate cake, ricotta cheese, and a creamy chocolate pudding topping. This classic Italian-American treat is perfect for holidays, gatherings, or anytime you want a crowd-pleasing make-ahead cake. Keywords: Italian Love Cake, chocolate ricotta cake, easy Italian dessert, make-ahead cake, layered pudding cake
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (plus eggs, oil, and water as directed on the box)
- 2 lbs ricotta cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (5.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3 cups cold milk
- 1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip or whipped topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to box instructions and pour into prepared dish.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gently spoon the ricotta mixture over the cake batter — it will sink and switch layers while baking.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- Prepare pudding by mixing instant chocolate pudding mix with cold milk until thickened. Fold in whipped topping.
- Spread pudding mixture evenly over cooled cake.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don’t worry if the layers look strange before baking — they’ll magically flip while in the oven.
- Try switching up pudding flavors like pistachio or vanilla for a twist.
- Add lemon zest to the ricotta mixture for a bright citrus note.
- Best served chilled; do not reheat.
