Italian Lemon Curd Ricotta Crumb Cake
This Lemon Curd Ricotta Crumb Cake is a fabulous, four-layer Italian dessert. The crust and crumb topping are made from the same sweet, buttery dough, making it quick and easy; no special equipment needed!
Ingredients
For the crust/crumble dough:
- 4 ounces butter (1 stick) I use salted
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
For the ricotta filling:
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To finish:
- ¾ cup lemon curd this easy recipe or purchased lemon curd
For serving:
- powdered sugar optional
- whipped cream optional
Instructions
For the prep:
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Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9-inch cake pan generously with baking cooking spray then line it with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
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Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Cook on high power for 45-60 seconds or until just melted. Set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes while you start the crust/topping.
For the crust/crumb dough:
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Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl and stir with a fork to combine.
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Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts to the cooled melted butter and stir with the same fork to combine. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with the fork until crumbs form and all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Make sure all the dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are incorporated into the crumbs. If the crumb mixture seems dry, you can add a little water, one teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition until nice crumbs form. If the mixture seems too wet and crumbs aren’t forming, add an additional tablespoon of flour then stir again with a fork.
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Transfer 1¼ cups of the crumb mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Pour the remaining crumbs into the prepared pan and shake the pan gently to distribute the crumbs over the bottom of the pan evenly. Press the crumbs down with your fingers or a flat-bottom measuring cup to form the bottom crust. Set aside while you prepare the ricotta filling.
For the ricotta filling:
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Combine all filling ingredients in a medium size bowl. (I just wash the bowl I used for the dough.) Using a whisk, stir until smooth and all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Turn the mixture out onto the crust layer. Smooth to an even layer with an angled knife or the back of a spoon.
To finish:
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Dollop the lemon curd over the top of the ricotta mixture. Use a knife to lightly swirl the lemon curd over the top of the ricotta layer.
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Using your hand, sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until the top is a nice light golden brown. The tart should be firm although it may wiggle a tiny bit in the center when gently shaken.
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Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least an hour.
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If desired, flip the cake onto a clean plate then flip it one more time onto a platter or cake stand so that the crumb topping is facing up.
For serving:
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Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired. It's also wonderful served on a pool of Raspberry Coulis. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success. If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.