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The Magical Layered Italian Love Cake with Chocolate Base and Ricotta Filling

Close-up of a decadent slice of Italian love cake featuring dark chocolate layers and thick white cream filling.
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You will bake this show-stopping Italian Love Cake that creates its own layers of moist chocolate cake, creamy ricotta filling, and pudding topping while it bakes. This is a decadent, make-ahead dessert perfect for special occasions.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 container (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (for frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, flour, 1 cup sugar, and baking powder. Mix these dry ingredients well.
  3. Add the water, oil, and 4 egg yolks to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour this batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
  5. In a clean bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the ricotta mixture.
  6. Carefully spoon dollops of the ricotta mixture over the chocolate batter in the pan. Do not spread; the layers will separate during baking.
  7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. The ricotta layer will sink to the bottom, creating the layers.
  8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
  9. Prepare the pudding topping: In a small bowl, whisk the instant vanilla pudding mix with 1 cup of cold milk until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  10. Gently spread the thickened pudding over the cooled cake.
  11. Spread the thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer.
  12. Chill the cake for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before slicing and serving. This allows the layers to set properly.

Notes

  • This is a make-ahead dessert; chilling overnight improves the texture and makes slicing easier.
  • You can substitute the chocolate cake mix for yellow cake mix if you prefer a vanilla base, but the chocolate version is more popular.
  • For an extra touch, dust the top with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kingscook.com/italian-love-cake-recipe/