Lush and Creamy Chocolate Italian Love Cake

5 from 2 votes

Italian Love Cake is a decadent combination of marble and cheesecake, topped with fluffy whipped topping and enjoyed chilled.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Chill in the Refrigerator8

Total Time9 20

Course: cake, Special Occasion dessert

Cuisine: American-Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 469kcal

1 Box chocolate Cake Mix Plus all ingredients necessary for making the cake. (these are the ingredients required for THIS cake mix - yours might be different).
1½ cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a glass 9X13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake batter according to the package instructions.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to fill the dish evenly and set aside. (DO NOT bake yet.)

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and the pure vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Gently pour the cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter layer. Spread the cheese layer to cover as well as you can.
Bake the cake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before adding the top layer. (About 2 hours).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and cold milk until combined and slightly thickened. (About 1-2 minutes).
Gently fold in the thawed whipped topping into the pudding until combined.
Spread the whipped chocolate frosting on top of the cooled two cake layers. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
Garnish with chocolate sprinkles or colored if desired.

If you plan to store leftover Italian love cake in the freezer, a helpful trick is to cut individual slices and wrap those in plastic wrap to be stored in an airtight container. That way, you can remove the amount needed instead of defrosting more.
This cake can be made ahead of time by wrapping it with plastic wrap (once fully cooled and without the frosting) and storing it in an airtight container at room temperature or the fridge for 1-2 days. You can add the frosting on the day of serving, allowing it to chill for an additional 6 hours in the fridge.
Always check the package directions of the cake mix used for your cake as some cake mixes call for different ingredient add-ins.
Ensure that you gently fold the whipped topping into the pudding mix to preserve as much of the air in the topping as possible for it to be light and fluffy.
If you want a more pronounced marble effect in your cake base, use a butter knife and gently run it through the cake batter and ricotta cheese layer before baking the cake.
While the cake bakes, the chocolate cake mix switches with the ricotta cheese layer so the chocolate layer ends up at the top. This is normal, so don’t assume that you did anything wrong.
Don’t skip the chilling time before serving this cake. Chilling the cake helps settle the flavors and also adds to the moisture in the cake.