There’s something special about doing things different and nothing shows that better than this Mexican blueberry ricotta lime cake. Mexico is known for its vast array of diverse and unique fruits, but of all of them, perhaps it is the lime that tops them all. In fact, it’s difficult to find “lemon” (as we know it) when asking for a cocktail in a Mexican restaurant. You might ask for lemon, but chances are you’ll get lime. 

The predominance of lime in Mexico is due primarily to one factor. It produces one-third of the world’s lime output, reaching 2.6 million metric tons annually and since the 1950s, has been recognized as the world’s largest exporter of the fruit. Like so many other fruits and vegetables introduced to Mexico by the Spaniards, limes arrived here about 1520, when their explorers brought the seeds here from Asia and the rest is history. 

Like chiles, limes are considered a staple of Mexican cuisine and life. The Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia), known as Mexican lime, and the Persian lime (Citrus latifolia) are the two varieties grown here. It’s the Key lime, however, that you’ll find in traditional cervices and margaritas because of its unique flavor. 

So, let’s talk about substituting lime for lemon in our baking recipes because after all we live in Mexico, and it sounds like the appropriate thing to do. In our recipe today, I am subbing lime for lemon in the cake’s batter as well as in the glaze. Believe it or not, lime rind and juice will provide a zesty, slightly sweeter flavor than lemon because lemon is more acidic. It will also make the blueberries taste sweeter and the ricotta creamier. Lime also imparts an aromatic component, perfect when pairing with blueberries. (If you’re going to try this in your baking recipes, substitute lime for lemon 1:1, both rind and juice.) So, let’s bring dessert to breakfast with this tantalizing fresh blueberry, ricotta, and lime cake! 

Mexican Blueberry, Ricotta and Lime Cake

• ¾ Cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature (mantequilla sin sal)
  • Best Mexican brands: Lala; Gloria; Alpura; Aguascalientes; Flor de Alfalfa.
• 1 ¼ Cups (250 g) granulated sugar (azúcar estándar)
• 3 eggs, room temperature (huevos)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (extracto de vainilla)
  • Mexican brands noted for intense flavor: Villa Vainilla; Vainilla Totonac’s; Molina Vainilla 
• zest of 2 limes (limas)
• 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice (jugo de lima)
• 1 Cup (250 g) ricotta cheese (ricota)
• 1 ½ Cups (187 g) all-purpose flour
  • Use only American flour, available online. 
• 1½ tsp. baking powder (polvo de hornear)
• ½ tsp. baking soda (bicarbonato)
• ½ teaspoon salt (sal)
• 2 ½ Cups (375 g) fresh blueberries (arándanos) (or fresh blackberries [moras] or raspberries [frambuesas])

Lime Glaze:

• 1 Cup (120 g) powdered sugar (azúcar glas)
• 2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice (jugo de lima)

Instructions:

Preparation:

• Pre-heat oven to 175°C/347°F 
• Grease a 9 inch/23 cm springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make the Cake:

• Zest 2 lemons and with your fingers and massage the zest into the granulated sugar, 
  • creating lemon sugar.
• Cream butter with lemon sugar until light and fluffy.
• Mix in the eggs, one by one, then vanilla extract, lemon juice and the ricotta cheese.

Next:

• Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together.

Next:

• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. 
• Fold in half of the blueberries

Next:

• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. 
• Place the remaining blueberries evenly on the top.
• Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool the cake completely. 

Make the Lime Glaze:

• Stir together the powdered sugar and freshly squeezed lime juice. Add more juice if 
  • necessary to achieve the desired consistency. 

Next:

• Drizzle the glaze over the cake and decorate with fresh blueberries. 
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

Disfruta!

Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).