Mini ricotta and raspberry crumble cakes

A delicious twist on an Italian favourite!

As I’ve mentioned before, I am frequently inspired to create new recipes by novels set in appealing locations. I’m a voracious reader and gravitate towards books that shine a light on how people in different cultures and countries go about their daily lives, including the foods they prepare and eat. A recent book set in Northern Italy introduced me to a popular regional dessert called Torta Sbrisolona. I’m not sure how authentic my version of this dish is, but I can confirm that this recipe is both easy and delicious, plus it’s easy to make gluten-free. I chose to make mini cakes as I love using my 4 inch (10 cm) spring form pans but you could triple the quantities below and make one 9 inch (22.5 cm) cake instead if you prefer (increase baking time by about 10 minutes). You could also make six cupcake-sized cakes; decrease baking time for these by about 8 minutes. If you’re looking for more delicious things to make with ricotta, check out this blueberry loaf or these peach muffins (and there are lots more ricotta recipes on this site because I love to make sweet and savory things with it).

Ingredients

Crust/topping:

• 3 tablespoons (42 g) salted butter
• 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free)
• 3 tablespoons (18 g) almond flour
• 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg, at room temperature (to be beaten and divided)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (138 g) ricotta
• 4 teaspoons (18 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 egg, beaten (remaining from the crust)
• 1/4 cup (80 g) raspberry jam (I prefer seedless)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F. Cut two squares of parchment paper a little bigger than the mini spring form pans and lay them over the base of each pan. Clamp the ring onto the base (the excess paper will stick out at the base) and grease the insides of the pans with a little butter. Set aside.
• To make the crumble crust and topping, melt the butter carefully in the microwave and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• Place the flours, sugar and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl and stir with a fork to combine.
• When the butter has cooled, beat the egg and measure out 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the beaten egg; add to the butter and stir to blend. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until the mixture forms small clumps and no dry spots remain.
• Scoop out 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside; you’ll be using this later as the topping.
• Divide remaining crumb mixture evenly between the two prepared pans. Press crumbs down with your fingers to form an even crust. Set cake pans aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl (you can use the one you made the crust in), stir together the ricotta, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and remaining beaten egg until smooth. Dividing the ricotta mixture in half and spread it out over the prepared crusts.   
• Put the jam in a small bowl and beat with a fork (this will make it easier to spread). Spoon the jam over the filling, spreading it out a bit (you don’t need to completely cover the ricotta).
• Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top, leaving a few gaps for the jam to peek through.
• Place the cakes on a heavy duty baking sheet (one that won’t warp in the heat) and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake does not wiggle much when the baking tray holding the pans is jiggled.  
• Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a wire rack; let cool in the pans for at least 45 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge before removing, discarding parchment, cutting in half and plating.
• Serve as-is or with a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.