Healthy honey and butterscotch ricotta cake

I think it’s official – I’m in love with ricotta cakes. The texture is so smooth and dense, the flavours are muted but stubbornly peeking through with every bite and the cakes are supremely easy to make – basically involving a bit of mixing and one bowl.
I use my stand mixer to make ricotta cakes but you can use a handheld mixer too, as there is not terribly much mixing involved.
What is the texture of a ricotta cake like?
I love how all the ingredients come together to make this cake, which is a little like a cheesecake and a little like a teacake but entirely original and delicious.
You can see a shot of the texture here – isn’t it just so enticing?

Use the base recipe to get the cake you want
Yes, I’ve just made a lemon ricotta cake with blueberries but with Father’s Day approaching, all I could think about was how perfect a ricotta cake would be for a celebration like that. My husband doesn’t particularly like fruit in cakes (go figure!) so I decided to switch up the flavours a little but follow the same base recipe.
I decided to use honey in place of some of the sweetener, a little bit of orange zest instead of lemon zest, and some butterscotch chips instead of blueberries.
The result?
A cake that disappeared within a day and a half, which was eaten accompanied by the great (and loud) smacking of lips (and that was just dad!). The best reward for the baker, and a perfect cake for Father’s Day this year!
I hope you and your family also had a wonderful Father’s Day. ♥♥

Recipe notes
The base recipe for this cake was inspired by a fantastic recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen. I have adjusted the amounts and changed the flavours.
The butterscotch chips will sink down to the bottom of the cake while baking, so don’t spend too much time doing a fancy pattern. (I made that mistake!)
I have called this a healthy cake but the butterscotch chips mean it’s not refined sugar free. Feel free to make this a special occasion cake or omit the butterscotch chips, if you desire.
Healthy honey and butterscotch ricotta cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (or 4 small eggs)
- scant 1/4 cup stevia and monkfruit sweetener (I like this one from Raw Earth)
- 6 tbsp (85 g) butter, melted
- 375 g (light) ricotta (I used light ricotta in the first recipe and full fat ricotta in this recipe and couldn't tell any difference – either is fine)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- scant 1/4 cup honey (warmed a little – try 30 seconds at 30% power in the microwave)
- orange zest from one orange
- 55 g butterscotch chips
- 3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180˚C.
- Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan and line it with baking paper.
- Whisk together spelt flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
- In your mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sweetener on high speed for 2 minutes until frothy. (I like to do this with the whisk attachment if using my stand mixer.)
- Then add melted butter, ricotta, vanilla paste or extract, honey and orange zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute or just until blended. (I like to do this with the flex edge beater attachment if using my stand mixer.)
- On a slow speed in the mixer, or manually with a spatula, mix in the flour mixture until well blended.
- Pour the mixture into the lined pan and sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the top (they will sink down to the bottom while baking, so don't spend too much time doing a fancy pattern).
- Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until light brown on top and the cake looks set.
- If you like, sprinkle a little extra sweetener over the top or decorate with extra butterscotch chips.
Notes


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23 Comments
Rahul
What a gorgeous looking cake Katerina! And something so different to try..
Katerina
Thanks so much, Rahul, appreciated!
Katerina
Thanks very much, Dana, I hope you like it as much as we do!
Laura
This cake looks delicious, so moorish and I can smell it from here. I love alternative baked goods that’s for sure and there are not many healthy options for baked goods in store.
Thanks so much for sharing, you have a lovely blog.
Laura xo
http://www.shehearts.net
Katerina
Thank you so much, your kind words are much appreciated! And yes, the scent of this cake baking is divine!
Ashley
Pretty sure I need to make this STAT! Yum!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Katerina
I hope you love them, Ashley! Thank you!
Shannon
I am so excited to make this lovely cake this weekend!!!! I have been drooling over it since you posted the recipe! Photos, ingredients, texture, everything is just SUPERB! Seriously can’t wait!
Katerina
Thanks so much, Shannon! I hope you and your family love it!! ♥️
Shannon
Just had to do an update on my first comment! I made this delicious cake last weekend and WOW!!!!!!!! Talk about amazing! Seriously so good! Absolutely love the butterscotch and orange zest combination, and the texture of the ricotta is just fabulous! Five stars, and definitely a recipe I will be making again!
Katerina
Ooh, I’m so pleased! Thanks so much for posting the update – it’s just made my day! 💗
Julie | This Main Line Life
This looks really delicious. I love basically anything made with ricotta.
Katerina
I agree, Julie! Ricotta is definitely a star!
Kathrine Eldridge
This cake looks delicious! I have never had a ricotta cake so I would love to try.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Katerina
I can’t recommend trying it enough – it’s so delicious! Happy weekend, Kathrine!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Once again, your photography is AH-mazing and I love those little butterscotch chips on top of the cake. YUMMMMMM!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Katerina
Thanks so much, Carrie!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I love ricotta in desserts and this cake looks wonderful!! What’s not to love when there’s all those delicious ingredients involved! Perfect with a cuppa coffee for an afternoon pick me up 🙂
Katerina
Thank you Dawn – I totally agree!
jodie filogomo
This is just like what my husband’s mom used to make. And he still loves it!!
XOXO
Jodie
Katerina
He clearly has great taste! Thank you Jodie!
Jill
Oh my gosh, this sounds and looks delicious! What a perfect fall dessert! I’m pinning!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Katerina
Thank you very much, Jill, we absolutely devoured this one!