The following post was initially featured in November 2020 on my friend’s blog, Living Large In a Small House. I wanted to highlight it on my site in case you didn’t catch it! Enjoy!

We built our home 19 years ago in a quiet, wooded cul-de-sac in the city I grew up in. Our kids were toddlers. We couldn’t wait to start living in our brand new home still smelling of new carpet and freshly painted walls.

Our next-door neighbors, Pat and Elaine, were already settled into their home a couple of years prior. This sweet couple, about 30 years our senior, still believes in the magic of being neighborly. I remember Elaine walking over through our unfinished yard, carrying a cake to welcome us. This Italian Ricotta Cake recipe I’m sharing with you is delicious!  It’s made with sweet and creamy Italian ricotta cheese and, believe it or not, a boxed cake mix. With Pat and Elaine and my husband hailing of Italian descent and my love of sweets, I knew right away we would become fast friends. Nineteen years later, we have shared glasses of wine, great conversation, and many years of friendship.

This cake is easy to make with simple ingredients. The texture is unique with the ricotta and its base flavor is sweet vanilla. This is a great dessert for any occasion or even a weekday treat. I hope you enjoy it as much as we still do with the memory of my lovely neighbor welcoming us to our new home.

Elaine’s Ricotta Cake

-1 ½ lb ricotta cheese(about 2 ½ c)

-3 eggs

-¾ c sugar

-¼ c milk

-2 tsp vanilla

Mix these ingredients and set aside

Make yellow cake mix according to directions and pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon above mixture over cake, Bake 350, 1 hour. When the cake is cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with cherry pie filling over the top if desired.