065 / 75 · Something Sweet for a Break
Raspberry Ricotta Breakfast Loaf
1 small loaf, 8 slices · Active 20 min · Total 1 hr 40 min
Print recipe · PDFRaspberries and ricotta make a small, tender loaf with a gently tangy crumb. The berries are folded in at the end so a few remain whole rather than coloring every part of the batter. This is a sliceable breakfast-style bake, not a frosted cake. Let it cool before cutting; a warm loaf can seem gummy when its crumb has simply not had time to settle.
Ricotta is not always equally wet
Drain visible liquid from the ricotta before measuring. Very wet cheese changes the batter more than an extra spoonful of flour can comfortably fix. Mix the ricotta with the other wet ingredients until reasonably smooth, then fold into the dry mixture. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. A few small ricotta flecks are fine.
Berries go in last
Frozen raspberries can be used straight from the freezer; thawing them first releases more juice into the batter. Fold gently with a broad spatula. The center of the loaf needs to be cooked, not just its domed top. Test in a cake area rather than through a berry pocket, and allow longer if the tester carries raw batter.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/3 cup sugar (65 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup ricotta, drained (120 g)
- 1/4 cup milk (60 ml)
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (45 ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (125 g)
Set out
Conventional oven, 8-by-4-inch loaf pan, Baking paper, Two mixing bowls, Wire rack
Allergens
Wheat, Egg, Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter and line the loaf pan.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in one bowl. Whisk eggs, ricotta, milk, oil and vanilla in the other.
- Fold wet mixture into dry just until combined. Fold in raspberries gently and scrape into the pan.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes until risen and golden and a tester inserted in a cake area comes out without raw batter.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Freeze slices rather than a whole loaf
Separate slices with baking paper before freezing. One slice can thaw in the refrigerator without leaving the rest of the loaf out, and it fits into a small snack box without a knife at work.
A useful detail
A berry-stained tester is different from one coated in raw batter. Check a second spot if the first goes through a raspberry.
Another way
- Use blueberries instead of raspberries, keeping the same weight.
- Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the wet mixture for a citrus note.
Keep it well
Refrigerate cooled slices in a covered container within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 4 days. Freeze individually wrapped slices for up to 2 months. Carry a slice chilled with other cold food.