Step 1

Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl, then add the milk, vanilla, melted butter, and ricotta and whisk until evenly combined.

Step 2

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well-combined.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until they turn opaque and frothy, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks that still fold over at the tips form, about 3 minutes more.

Step 4

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk-ricotta mixture, whisking until just combined. Fold in the lemon juice and zest with a rubber spatula.

Step 5

Add the egg whites to the batter, one-third at a time, and fold until just incorporated, making sure to not overmix and deflate the whites.

Step 6

Heat a large nonstick skillet over low heat for 3 minutes. Grease the pan lightly with nonstick spray. Lightly spray as many 3-inch stainless steel cookie cutters as will fit in the pan with nonstick spray, then place it in the pan. Fill each cutter two-thirds of the way with the batter. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan (outside of the cutters), cover the pan, and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and add another scoop of batter to each pancake, cover again, and cook for 6 minutes more, until the surface of the pancakes are just bubbling and the centers are slightly jiggly. If the centers are still too liquidy, cook for an additional minute. Using tongs and a spatula, flip the pancake-filled cutters over in the pan. Add another teaspoon of water to the pan, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove the cutters from the pan and carefully release the pancakes, then repeat with the remaining batter.

Step 7

Top with blueberry jam and more ricotta, or your favorite pancake toppings. Serve immediately.

Step 8

Enjoy!