Lemon Sbriciolata

Lemon sbriciolata is a citrusy and fragrant variant of a typical Italian “crumble” cake. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients

• 300 g of all-purpose flour
• 200 g of almond flour
• 200 g of sugar
• 200 g of cold butter from the fridge
• 2 eggs (1 whole and 1 yolk)
• Grated zest of 2 untreated lemons
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• A pinch of salt

For the lemon cream:

• 2 eggs
• 150 g of sugar
• Grated zest of 2 untreated lemons
• 100 ml of lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
• 50 g of butter

Preparation

1. Prepare the lemon cream by putting the eggs, sugar, and grated lemon zest in a small saucepan. Stir with a whisk and add the lemon juice. Place on medium heat and continue stirring until it thickens (it will take about 5-10 minutes). Remove from the heat and add the butter in pieces, stirring well until completely absorbed. Let cool.
2. For the crumbly dough, in a bowl, mix the flours, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter, cut into cubes, and start to crumble with your fingers until it becomes a coarse, sandy mixture.
3. Add the whole egg and yolk and work briefly until the dough is still crumbly but more cohesive.
4. Butter and flour a 24 cm springform pan and pour half of the crumbled dough, pressing lightly with your hands.
5. Pour the cooled lemon cream over it and cover with the remaining crumbled dough, without pressing too hard.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40-45 minutes or until the surface appears golden.
7. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Interesting Facts

The lemon sbriciolata can be considered a sort of “cousin” to the better-known tart, from which it mainly differs in its more crumbly texture and because it does not have a homogenous base but a “crumbled” dough, as its name suggests. The Italian touch in this version is given by the use of almond flour and the fresh lemon cream, which evoke the flavors of Southern Italy and especially the Amalfi Coast, famous for its lemons.