Description
Italian Love Cake is a delightful layered dessert featuring a rich chocolate cake base, a creamy ricotta cheesecake filling, and a luscious whipped chocolate pudding topping. This easy recipe creates beautiful and impressive layers with minimal effort, making it perfect for family gatherings, potlucks, or special occasions.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cake Batter
- 1 (13.25 oz) box chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
Filling
- 32 oz ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 (5.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups milk, chilled
- 1 (16 oz) container frozen whipped topping (thawed)
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking and ensure easy cake removal.
- Prepare Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix until smooth and well incorporated. Set aside.
- Mix Ricotta Filling: In another large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until the filling is smooth and well blended.
- Layer Batter and Filling: Pour the prepared cake batter into the greased baking dish. Spoon the ricotta filling evenly over the top of the batter (it will sink during baking, forming layers).
- Bake the Cake: Place the dish in the oven and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
- Prepare Topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and chilled milk for 2–3 minutes, until thickened. Gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until fully combined and smooth.
- Add Topping and Chill: Evenly spread the chocolate pudding topping over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve, allowing the flavors to meld and the topping to set.
Notes
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the topping to prevent melting.
- For best flavor and texture, chill the finished cake for several hours or overnight.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
- You can substitute part-skim ricotta if desired, but full-fat yields the creamiest filling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 31g
- Sodium: 510mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 95mg