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Blueberry Ricotta Squares

A blueberry coffee cake with ricotta cheese topping that's reminiscent of cheesecake. This recipe was in my maternal grandmother's collection. Its origin is unknown.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 16 people
Calories 2578.8 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch Square Baking Dish
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For cake batter
  • 1 Electric Mixer
  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl For ricotta topping
  • 1 Rubber spatula or spoon For spreading batters

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 ½ cups blueberries
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, stir together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, shortening, 1 egg, and lemon extract; beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, then beat on medium speed for 1 more minute. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan; sprinkle with blueberries.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together 2 beaten eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Spoon over blueberries and spread evenly.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

Notes

1. Do not overmix the cake batter; mix only until just combined to ensure a tender crumb. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to a tough texture.2. For best results, use fresh blueberries. If using frozen, do not thaw them completely; toss them with a tablespoon of flour before sprinkling to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.3. Ensure the squares cool completely before cutting. This allows the ricotta topping to set properly, preventing a messy presentation and enhancing the overall texture.4. A touch of lemon zest in the ricotta topping could brighten the flavor profile even further.