This Cherry & Ricotta Crumble Cake is an unusual cake that’s like a cross between a cheesecake and a tart with a crumbly topping thrown in. It’s soo good!

Good enough to be the cake for both Finbar’s 1st birthday and my Irishman’s special days this year.

If it’s not cherry season where you are, frozen cherries are amazing. Any other fruit will work well (see variations for ideas).

IMPORTANT: Best to use smooth creamy ricotta from a tub rather than more crumbly ricotta from the deli.

Cherry & Ricotta Crumble Cake

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8 to 10 people

Ingredients

FOR THE BASE:
400 g almond meal
200 g butter chopped
25 g caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
FOR THE FILLING:
500 g smooth ricotta
50 g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional
2 handfuls cherries pitted

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and grease and line a 24cm (9in) cake tin with baking paper.
Place almond meal, butter, sugar and baking powder in your food processor. Pulse or whizz in little bursts until the mixture comes together in coarse crumbs. Be careful not to mix to a smooth dough – you want it crumbly and loose.
Press HALF the crumbs into the base of the prepared cake tin to form the base.
Mix ricotta, extra sugar and vanilla extract (if using) until combined. Spread the ricotta filling over the base leaving a 1.5cm (1/2in) boarder around the edge.
Place cherries on top of the ricotta. I like to leave the middle clear so you can see the ricotta filling but it’s up to you.
Loosely sprinkle the remaining crumbs around the edges of the tin to form a boarder around the ricotta.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake is well browned.
Cool to room temperature before serving.

Variations for Cherry & Ricotta Crumble Cake

sugar-free – use your favourite sweetener… pure stevia powder, granular stevia , xylitol or white sugar! Just add and taste until you’re happy with the sweetness level.

sugar lovers – If you like things on the sweeter side double the sugar. Or serve with icing sugar dusted over.

nut-free / budget – replace almond meal with plain (all purpose) flour. Reduce baking time to 25-30 minutes.

choc-hazelnut – replace half the almond meal with hazelnut meal and replace cherries with chopped chunks of chocolate.

maple-pecan – replace the sugar with maple syrup. Halve the almond and butter mixture. Spread it over the base. Then spread over the ricotta mixture. Skip the fruit. Top with pecans and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra maple syrup drizzled over.

honey almond – replace the sugar with honey. Halve the almond and butter mixture. Spread it over the base. Then spread over the ricotta mixture. Skip the fruit. Top with flaked almonds and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra honey drizzled over.

different fruit – feel free to use your imagination! Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, sliced peaches, halved apricots, stewed apples, roast pears or cooked rhubarb are all lovely. I’ve also used raw rhubarb and sprinkled with a little extra sugar.

dairy-free – replace the ricotta filling with fresh or cooked fruit and use coconut oil instead of the butter – I haven’t tried this!

no food processor – grate butter into the dry ingredients and rub in using your fingertips until you get the coarse crumbs.

no cherry-pitter – leave the stones in but don’t forget to warn your guests!

Shelf Life / Storage

Best on the day of baking. Can be kept for a week or so in an airtight container in the fridge – still delicious but you lose the crunchy texture of the crumbs. Keeps for months in the freezer.

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Tags: almond meal, almond meal (almond flour), baking powder, cherries, ricotta, sugar