Our friend greens and chocolate has parlayed her love of almond and lemon into a heavenly ricotta cake that’s rich and dense — yet also amazingly light. It’s the perfect spring dessert.

The flavor combination of lemon and almond is one of my favorites, and I start craving it during the spring months. Obviously, lemon baked goods are popular around spring and Easter, and this year I have a new favorite lemon dessert: Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake. The addition of almond extract makes it truly irresistible.

This lemon cake has all of the usual ingredients in a cake — flour, butter and sugar — but one distinct ingredient that is unique. The star ingredient is ricotta cheese.

If you’ve never added ricotta to a cake, you are definitely missing out! It somehow makes this cake light but not fluffy. It’s amazingly rich and moist, but not dense or heavy. This makes it perfect for a brunch dessert or just a lighter option after dinner.

Of course, another highlight of this cake is the addition of 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, which gives the cake its lemon flavor. I love adding lemon zest to baked goods to really highlight the fresh flavor of lemon.

Another selling point to this cake? It can all be made in one bowl! I love a simple dessert that still impresses, and this Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake is just that. It’s simple enough for any novice baker to make, but it tastes like a seasoned cook made it.

I topped this ricotta cake with a lemon glaze frosting and some fresh raspberries. I loved how simple yet flavorful it was. It would also be great with whipped cream and fresh strawberries!