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easy chocolate italian love cake recipe for valentine’s day

Easy Chocolate Italian Love Cake Recipe


  • Author: Anna Dykeman

Ingredients

Scale

For the chocolate cake base:

  • 1 box of chocolate cake

Or 

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

Ingredients for the cheese layer:

  • 2 lbs (32 oz) ricotta cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 box of instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 container (8 oz) whipped topping (like Cool Whip) or equivalent homemade whipped cream

Note: If you want to make the chocolate pudding mix from scratch, here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups of milk

Instructions

  1. First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare the baking pan by greasing it using either nonstick spray or butter, then lightly flour it – use a 9×13 inch pan here.

    Note: If you’re using box cake to make the chocolate cake, skip step 2.

  2. Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to it, mix it. 
  3. Use a medium bowl and add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until everything is well combined.
  4. Start adding the wed ingredients from step 3 to the dry ingredients from step 2 as you’re mixing it until it becomes smooth – use a hand mixer or food processor to make mixing easier.
  5. Boil the water and add 1 cup of it to the chocolate cake batter (yes, the batter will be thin, but that’s ok!) – then pour everything into the prepared pan and set aside.
  6. To prepare the creamy ricotta cheese mixture use a separate bowl and mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until it’s well mixed and smooth.
  7. Pour the ricotta mixture carefully on top of the cake batter from step 5 and spread it evenly – then bake it for 60 minutes or until the center is set.
  8. For the frosting use a medium bowl and mix the instant pudding mix and milk until thickened, then fold in the whipped topping or homemade whipped cream and spread it over the cooled cake.

    Optional: If you want to make the creamy chocolate pudding topping from scratch, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. Add 2 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of the pudding mixture to a saucepan and whisk it over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Remove it from the heat and let it cool off at room temperature before pouring it over the pan with the cake batter and cheese layer.

  9. Leave the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or even better, overnight. 

Lastly, slice it and enjoy it chilled – you could even garnish it with  chocolate shavings or a bit of cocoa powder.