Italian Love Cake is a rich, layered dessert that brings together the best of chocolate cake, ricotta cheesecake, and creamy pudding — all in one beautiful, make-ahead treat. Its name hints at the care and comfort baked into every slice.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s reminiscent of cheesecake. The ricotta filling has a smooth and creamy texture that is similar to the popular dessert. Even better, the cake is deceivingly light (even when chilled) and not too dense or heavy.
Perfectly chocolaty. A dessert that will satisfy all chocolate-lovers, but not so intense that non-chocolate-lovers won’t love it too.
Ingredients
For the Cake Layer
1 box chocolate cake mix
Eggs, oil, and water (as called for on the box)
For the Ricotta Layer
2 lbs ricotta cheese
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Topping
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix (5.9 oz)
1½ cups cold milk
8 oz Cool Whip or whipped topping
How To Make Italian Love Cake
Preheat Oven: 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Prepare Cake Batter: Mix the chocolate cake according to package instructions. Pour it into the pan.
Make Ricotta Filling: Beat ricotta, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Gently spoon over the cake batter — do not mix.
Bake: 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool completely.
Prepare Topping: Mix pudding with milk until thickened. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over the cooled cake.
Chill: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).