These delicious little Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves are one of my favorite things to make any time of year, but even more so around the holidays. They are impossibly moist and tender, with a bright lemon flavor and sweet-tart lemon glaze.
For a regular size loaf cake, check out this recipe for Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake.
Calling All Lemon Lovers!
I am all about anything lemon. These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are one of my favorite things in the world. My oldest daughter loves them as well. (In fact, she told me she was going to build a shrine to the muffins so she could worship them. She might be a bit on the dramatic side.)
And, there's something about lemon and ricotta together that just works. Such as in these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes - one of my other favorite things in the whole world.
Finally, let's not forget Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Cream, which is one of the reasons these little lemon loaves even exists. Because the thing that makes these loaves so very delicious is the olive oil. Adding a bit of oil to cakes, muffins, and brownies creates a super moist tender crumb. So, when I was first working out this recipe, I used mostly butter - with just a bit of olive oil.
And they were fine. We ate them without complaint. But, then I decided to try them out with all olive oil and they went from "these are pretty good" to "these are amazing, please can I have another slice". The olive oil not only creates an incredibly moist, tender crumb - it adds a subtle fruity flavor that compliments all that lemon so beautifully.
I'm kinda in love with mini-loaves right now. A couple of years ago, I purchased an 18 cavity mini loaf pan and made mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaves, and have been obsessed with making mini loaves ever since.
One of my favorite things about them is the portion size options that mini loaves provide. An entire mini-loaf is similar in size to a muffin or a cupcake, while a slice of a mini loaf is two or three bites. This gives you options for when you want the whole thing or when you just want a taste. Also, eating 2 or 3 slices of a mini loaf makes you feel totally indulgent when you've actually conducted yourself with a remarkable amount of restraint.
Used in this Recipe:
- Wilton Non-Stick Mini-Loaf Pan, 18 cavity
- Mini Loaf Paper Liners
- Mixing Bowls
- OXO Good Grips 11-inch Balloon Whisk
- Pure vanilla extract
- Olive Nation Pure Lemon extract
- California Extra Virgin Olive Oil
📖 Recipe
Mini Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves
These delicious little Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves are one of my favorite things to make any time of year, but even more so around the holidays. They are impossibly moist and tender, with a bright lemon flavor and sweet-tart lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt (1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt)
- 3 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- pure vanilla extract
- lemon extract
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- lemon extract
- pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 cavities of a mini loaf pan. Even if the pan is non-stick, it's important to grease and flour the pan. The loaves are so moist and tender that they stick easily. You can also simply line the pan with mini-loaf paper liners.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
- Add the lemon zest, olive oil, and sugar, to a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously for 10-20 seconds after each addition.
- Add the ricotta, lemon juice, and vanilla and lemon extracts to a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add this ricotta mixture in two additions to the olive oil and sugar mixture, alternating with three additions of the flour: flour, ricotta, flour, ricotta, flour. Whisk the batter after each addition just long enough to incorporate the ingredients.
- Distribute the batter between the 9 prepared mini-loaf pan cavities. The batter should come about ¾ of the way to the top.
- Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the loaves comes out with crumbs attached, but no evidence of batter.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 or 3 minutes in the pan. Carefully flip the pan upside down, allowing the loaves to spill out onto a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before covering them with glaze.
Make the Lemon Glaze:
- Add all the glaze ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk gently at first until all the powdered sugar is moistened, then whisk more vigorously until completely smooth. Keep covered until ready to use.
Notes
- This recipe makes 9 mini-loaves. If you are using an 18-cavity pan, either double the recipe or be sure to fill the empty cavities halfway with water before baking so that the pan doesn't burn. After baking, carefully pour out the water before flipping the pan over to remove the loaves.
- Store the loaves in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Unglazed loaves can be frozen for up to two months. Make sure to freeze in a single layer so that the loaves don't stick together.
- An easy way to decorate these little cakes is by topping each one with one or two candied citrus slices.
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Ellie says
Hi! Could I add blueberries to this recipe?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Ellie! Yes! And I think the addition of blueberries would be delicious. I'd suggest tossing the blueberries in a couple tablespoons of flour before adding them to the batter - add them as the last step. I have not tried adding fruit to this recipe, and my main concern is that the blueberries will fall to the bottom during baking. Tossing them in a bit of flour "should" prevent this.
Another option is to take a cue from this recipe from Blueberry Crumb Cake and create a blueberry sauce that you can swirl into the cakes. I think either option will be delicious!
Please let me know if you have any other questions... and, if you try it, will you let me know how it turns out for you?
Ellie says
Thank you! I plan on trying it next week and I will let you know!:)
Deb says
Can this be made in a regular loaf pan? If so, any adjustments for ingredients and/or baking time and temp? Thank yuh
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Deb! I've never made it in a regular size loaf pan, but your question gives me just the excuse to try. I'll test it out and get back to you. xo
Kristin says
Looking to make in a regular loaf pan as well! Please update info 🙏
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kristin! This recipe bakes up well in a regular loaf pan. Be sure to grease and flour the pan and fill it about 2/3 full. Bake as directed, at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out without any evidence of raw batter. Or, if you'd rather, this Lemon Loaf Cake recipe was created specifically for a standard 9-inch loaf pan. Both recipes are delicious, it's just one was designed for a mini loaf pan and the other for a regular sized pan. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, regardless of what recipe you choose, I'd love to hear how it comes out for you. xo
Nina says
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and made 6 baby bunt cakes and a few mini loaves. These make sweet little give away gifts. Thanks for a great recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that you liked this recipe Nina! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I appreciate it so much. xo