Description
Italian Love Cake is a decadent layered dessert featuring rich chocolate cake, sweet ricotta filling, and a creamy pudding topping. Despite its impressive appearance, it’s surprisingly easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box)
- 2 lbs (900g) ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 box (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 container (8 oz) whipped topping (like Cool Whip), thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the chocolate cake batter according to the package directions and pour it evenly into the baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Spoon the ricotta mixture gently over the cake batter—do not mix. It will sink and bake into layers.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
- Once cooled, whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk until thickened. Fold in the whipped topping.
- Spread the pudding mixture evenly over the cooled cake.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
- Layers will naturally switch during baking—don’t stir after layering.
- For extra richness, use whole milk ricotta and whole milk for the pudding layer.
- Add chocolate shavings or mini chips on top for decoration.
- This cake gets better as it chills—overnight is ideal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: Italian love cake, chocolate ricotta dessert, layered cake, pudding cake, easy Italian dessert