DessertsRecipes

Crumbly Cake with a Sweet Ricotta filling

by Micaela Harrasser

This simple yet delicious ricotta cake, known as sbriciolata, is a cheesy and crumbly cake with a hard shell containing a sweet ricotta filling. Impossible to resist!
This cake is very similar to the better known sbrisolona mantovana, with the difference that this version has a filling and does not contain nuts. To make this version even richer though, feel free to add some crushed almonds or hazelnuts into the pastry dough! In this way, you will also give it an extra crunch to it.
One very nice thing about this cake is that the dough does not need a lot of work to evenly mix all ingredients, plus no resting time in the fridge like your average crostata (shortcrust pastry).
What I love about this cake is that it’s a bit richer and fuller than your average cheesecake (as this has a shell that completely covers the cheesy filling, while the standard cheesecake only has a cookie base), making it a perfect autumn dessert. It’s also a bit lighter on the dairy/fat compartment, as the filling is 100% ricotta with some sugar. Let me know if you make it, and buon appetito! 😀

Crumbly Cake with a Sweet Ricotta filling

Serves: 2 Prep Time: Cooking Time: Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Makes two mini (10cm) tarts:

  • 150g all-purpose flour
  • 40g sugar
  • 50g cold butter diced
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 egg
  • 4g dry yeast for desserts

For the filling:

  • 250g ricotta
  • 70g white sugar

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, add the ingredients for the cake batter.
  2. Using your hands, mix well breaking down the butter pieces until you get a crumbly consistency (you want to keep some of the pieces quite big, about 1/2 cm).
  3. Turn the oven to 180C.
  4. Grab your cake tins and butter them/spray them with neutral oil.
  5. Add about 2/3 of the cake batter and gently press it onto the edges of the cake tins to adhere.
  6. Place them in the fridge.
  7. Now let's prepare the filling! In a bowl, combine the ricotta & sugar and mix well with a spoon or spatula.
  8. Add the filling to the cakes and gently press it down to make it even.
  9. Sprinkle the leftover cake batter on top of the cakes to cover them completely. 
  10. Place in the center of the oven and cook until the top gets golden.
  11. Let it cool off before removing from the cake tins.
  12. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: as the cake is best when eaten cold, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days.

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