Food

I made Ina Garten's easy breakfast cake for Mother's Day. My mom gives it a 10/10 — and so will yours.

Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
Ina Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake is perfect for Mother's Day. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider
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I've been whipping up Ina Garten's dishes for years and love trying her breakfast and dessert recipes.

Whether it's her cacio e pepe scrambled eggs or her famous mocha icebox cake, the "Barefoot Contessa" star is always creating fun twists on classic dishes. 

Garten said this blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake is perfect for Mother's Day, so I knew I had to make it for my own mom.

Let's see what she thought!

Ina Garten's breakfast cake features ricotta, lemon zest, and plenty of blueberries.

Ingredients for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
The breakfast cake also features sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

To make Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake, which serves eight, you'll need: 

  • 2 cups (12 ounces) of fresh blueberries 
  • 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of whole-milk ricotta 
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar 
  • 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature 
  • 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 
  • 2 tablespoons of sour cream 
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder 
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
  • Sifted powdered sugar, for dusting

Before I began making Garten's breakfast cake, I needed to do a little prep.

Zesting lemon for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
First, I zested my lemon. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I grated the lemon zest so it would be ready to go once I was mixing the batter. 

I also preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and greased and floured my pan.

Grease and flouring the Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I greased my pan with butter before adding the flour. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten recommends using a 9-inch round springform pan for this dish.

Then it was time to make the batter!

Making the mixture for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I added the butter and sugar to the bowl of my electric mixer. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

First, I added the butter and sugar to the bowl of my electric mixer, which was fitted with the paddle attachment. 

I beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for three minutes, until the mixture was light and fluffy.

Making the mixture for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I beat the butter and sugar together for three minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I made sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  

Then I added the eggs, ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest.

Mixture for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
Garten says your batter will look curdled at this stage. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I turned the mixer to low and added one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then I added the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest to the mixture.

Garten notes that your batter will look curdled at this stage, so don't worry if it appears that way!

I mixed my dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Mixing dry ingredients for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
My dry ingredients included the flour, baking powder, and salt. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I added the flour, baking powder, and one teaspoon of salt, and gave everything a quick stir. 

Next, I added the dry ingredients to the batter.

Mixture for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I mixed my dry ingredients until they were just incorporated. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I slowly added the dry ingredients with the mixer still on low until they were just incorporated.

Once my batter was ready, I began adding the blueberries.

Adding blueberries to mixture for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I folded two-thirds of my blueberries into the batter. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I folded two-thirds of my two cups of blueberries into the batter using a rubber spatula. 

I transferred the batter into my springform pan.

Transfering batter to pan for Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
My batter in the springform pan. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I made sure to smooth the top of the batter. 

I added the remaining blueberries on top of the cake.

Adding blueberries to top of Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
Per Garten's instructions, I lightly pressed each blueberry into the batter. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten recommends lightly pressing each blueberry into the surface. 

It was time to bake!

Baking Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
It took around 50 minutes for my cake to bake. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten recommends baking the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It took about 50 minutes for my cake to bake.

Every oven is different, so keep checking on your cake every couple of minutes after you hit the 45-minute mark.

Once my cake was ready, I transferred it to a wire rack.

Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake out of the oven
The cake needs to cool for an additional 15 minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten says the cake needs to cool in the pan for an additional 15 minutes.

I removed the sides of my springform pan and lightly dusted the top with powdered sugar. The cake looked beautiful.

Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I thought Garten's breakfast cake looked very impressive. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake definitely makes for an impressive centerpiece.

Its warm, golden hue looked so sweet and comforting in my kitchen, and the bright bursts of blueberry added some joyful pops of color.

When I cut a slice, it was clear that the cake would be delightfully fluffy.

Slice of Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
The cake smelled incredible as I sliced into it. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I could see a generous amount of blueberries in each slice, and the cake smelled incredible. 

My parents and I loved Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake.

A blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake with a slice being taken out of it.
Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake was deliciously moist. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten's breakfast cake tastes as light and fluffy as it looks. The ricotta and sour cream keep every bite super moist, as Garten promised, and the sweet blueberries pair well with the zingy, bright lemon zest, which really shines through.

The cake also had a nice crust on the outside, which added a contrasting texture to the super-soft, luscious middle. 

"This was superb," my mom declared. "I give it a 10/10." 

Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake should be on everyone's brunch menu.

Sliced Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
I'm definitely going to make Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake again. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten's cake was super easy to make, and it tasted just as good the next day. If you want to save yourself some time before hosting a big brunch, you could easily make this the night before. 

Whether you're looking for a special dish to celebrate Mother's Day or want a fun new dessert, Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

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Anneta Konstantinides
Anneta Konstantinides is a lifestyle correspondent at Business Insider, with a focus on food and travel. She loves taking readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens and exploring the world of fine-dining, and she's always trying to find the best Ina Garten and Gordon Ramsay recipes. Her second home is LAX, where she's often catching a flight and reviewing airlines.Anneta has also been reporting on the pageant industry for the last six years and has interviewed every Miss USA and Miss Universe winner since 2019. She was a finalist at the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the  2022 Miss USA scandal and was featured in The New York Times Presents episode "How to Fix a Pageant" on Hulu in September 2023. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A in English Literature and a minor in film & television, Anneta worked as a journalist in London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. You can reach Anneta at akonstantinides@bjinnox.com.