Chocolate Italian Love Cake is a delectable three-layer cake made up of ricotta, mascarpone, and a box of cake mix that switches places when baking! Topped with a creamy frosting – a sure crowd-pleaser.
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This Italian love cake recipe is a beautiful blend of two layers of cake that work together perfectly. It’s a super easy dessert recipe that looks way more impressive than the effort it takes. This makes it great for a special occasion or holiday.
The flavor is a combination of sweet ricotta, rich vanilla or chocolate cake, and some fluffy simple frosting.
All it really takes is some fresh high-quality ricotta, mascarpone, and a box of chocolate cake mix!
The origins of Italian Love Cake are actually quite a mystery. It may have started with Mario Batali or Valerie Bertinelli, but either way, the recipe has stayed the same and I haven’t seen too many variations of it.
The coolest part about this recipe is that the two layers actually switch places while baking! When you assemble this cake, the cake batter layer will actually go on the bottom of the pan, and you’ll spread the ricotta layer right on top. But, because of the density of each batter, they’ll switch places during baking and the ricotta layer will be on the bottom, the cake layer on the top.
Both layers will totally be better for it too having imparted some flavor on the other too.
CAKE FLAVORS
Aside from the ease of the recipe, I really love how each layer on its own is delicious, but together – both layers are so complimentary.
There’s the creamy ricotta cheese mixture that gets mixed with mascarpone to become even silkier. It also gets eggs and sugar mixed in to help it stay firm.
And then there’s the cake layer – which is really just a box of cake mix, yet still comes out moist, rich, and delectable. Some notice the difference between homemade and box cake, but as a shortcut, box mixes really don’t bother me.
As for the frosting, all we do is mix a box of instant chocolate pudding with some cold milk, mascarpone, and cool whip. After the frosting cools and thickens, we can frost the cake with it!
As I mentioned, I love to make this cake for Christmas and the holiday season because there’s just something special about it. And with “love” in the name, what’s a better day to make it than Valentine’s Day? Decorate with some chocolate-covered strawberries!
But really, friends and family members might continue asking for this cake year-round once you make it! (I know mine do).
INGREDIENTS
The ingredients you’ll need to make this cake are simple like I’ve said.
Package chocolate cake mix – You can use any brand you want and even any flavor you want
Whole milk ricotta – Since this ingredient is one of the main stars, you’ll want to go for something high-quality here. Low-quality ricotta is really obvious and may not stand up to baking as a higher quality one would.
Note: you can try out using skim ricotta, but I do suggest whole milk because it’s creamier and has more fat which adds more moisture.
Instant pudding mix – This is used in the frosting to give it some structure
INSTRUCTION OVERVIEW
- Prep a metal or glass dish for baking the cake by spraying the bottom with nonstick spray
- Mix your cake according to the cake mix directions on the package in the bowl of a stand mixer or by using a hand mixer. Adding any eggs, oil, or water necessary to the batter. Blend well to get rid of any large clumps.
- Spread the chocolate cake layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Then, in another large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese layer by adding the mascarpone, eggs, and a cup sugar. Blend this well too.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the ricotta layer over top of the chocolate layer
- Bake the cake for 45-65 minutes, but see troubleshooting notes below
- While the cake bakes, make the frosting by combining mascarpone, instant pudding mix, cup of milk, sugar, and cool whip.
- Let the frosting thicken and cool, then spread it over the top of the cooled cake.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Some tips to help you if you need them:
- The recipe says to bake the cake for 45-65 minutes because the temperature is dictated by your cake mix so this varies. Typically, the temperature should be somewhere between 350-375 degrees.
- If after 45 minutes your cake is still very jiggly and uncooked in the center, continue to cook and check it every 5-10 minutes. Ovens vary too. The first time you make it will be a little bit like a trial.
- Cover with foil to prevent any browning if you need to cook for much longer
- Some people experience the layers not switching - this can be due to the cake not being fully done. Be sure that it is not jiggly in the center. If the layers don't switch, for whatever reason, it will still taste delicious! 🙂
VARIATIONS
Some variations on this recipe are obvious: you can make any flavor you want with whichever cake mix you find. I have tested both vanilla and chocolate and both are delicious. The chocolate version is like a chocolate lovers’ cake with two of the three layers being chocolate-based. Dare I say you can also flavor your ricotta layer with some cocoa powder to really go all out with chocolate.
A vanilla Italian Love Cake I would say is simpler and maybe a bit less indulgent, but not any less delicious.
Other flavor options: vanilla, strawberry, spice cake, red velvet, lemon, olive oil
Storing and reheating
This cake tastes great the next day after you bake it when the layers settle into each other a bit too. However, after about three days it gets a bit too soggy for my preference. Because there is dairy in the recipe, this cake must be refrigerated when storing. Seal it tight.
AS ALWAYS, IF YOU MAKE THIS – PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
Chocolate Italian Love Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate or vanilla cake mix plus the ingredients called for in the directions
- Mascarpone Ricotta Filling
- 28 ounces ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces mascarpone ½ cup
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Frosting
- 10 ounces mascarpone 1 ¼ cups
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 3.9 ounce box instant chocolate or vanilla pudding mix
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 Container Cool Whip
Instructions
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Preheat the oven according to the cake mix box. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick spray.
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Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Pour it into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
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To make the ricotta filling: combine the ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer and mix until smooth.
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Gently pour the ricotta filling into the cake pan, on top of the cake batter layer. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly, covering the entire layer.
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Bake until the center is fully cooked, about 45-65 minutes. A fork inserted into the middle should come out mostly clean. Let cool completely.
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To make the frosting: blend together the mascarpone, milk, pudding mix, and sugar in the stand mixer again until it’s smooth. Fold in all of the cool whip. You can let this thicken in the fridge while the cake cools.
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Once the cake is ready to be served, frost the top of the cake using an offset spatula.
Recipe Notes
- Adapted from Valerie Bertinelli's - Sicilian Love Cake
- If after 40 min your cake is still jiggly, continue baking & check every 5-10 minutes. Some people have wildly different baking times due to different box cakes requiring different temperatures. Ovens also vary. My cake will bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
- If the top of the cake begins to brown, cover with foil to continue baking.
- Some people experience the layers not switching - this can be due to the cake not being fully done. Be sure that it is not jiggly in the center. If the layers don't switch, for whatever reason, it will still taste delicious! 🙂
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you make this recipe or any others on Bite your Cravings, please leave a rating below! You can also tag me in your recipes on social media @biteyourcravings so I can see!
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