Italian strawberry crumble cake recipe

Italian strawberry crumble cake is a great proof that you don’t need to spend the whole day in the kitchen to make one of the most delicious cakes. Everything is very easy, fast and simple! This recipe is dedicated to all Italian strawberry crostata lovers

Italian strawberry crumble cake recipe with a long history

I don’t really like baking with strawberries, I prefer eating these fantastic berries fresh – in fruit salad, for example, or cut in pieces as a filling for cakes or sweet Swiss rolls.

But there is one Italian tart with strawberry filling that has a special place in my heart. I “met” it in Italy, in fact, it’s a recipe of my husband’s grandmother. I was lucky to inherit an amazing culinary treasure from her – her recipe book.

This recipe book is like a delicious ocean, in which you dive and want to swim (well … read) again and again. This cookbook has its own unique inner world and history, it has survived two wars (I had to rewrite almost everything, because the time and scorching Italian sun “ate” the color of ink on many pages), and it is all permeated with flavors of oregano, basil, lemons, tomatoes and rosemary. That’s where I found my favorite Italian strawberry crumble cake recipe. I was attracted by the ease of its preparation.

Very easy strawberry crostata

There is no need to knead the dough for this Italian tart. You’ll have just to mix it to form crumbs and that’s it! Place a layer of these crumbs in a baking form, add delicious strawberry filling and decorate the top of the tart with remaining dough crumbs.

When I was reading the recipe for the first time, I couldn’t imagine that after baking it will turn into such an amazing delicacy, the aroma of which can drive you crazy …

Italian tart filling ideas

You are completely free to improvise with the filling for this pie. And changing the filling you’ll have a new crumble cake: 

• add diced apples and you will get a delicious apple crumble pie;
• add fresh apricots and enjoy the sweet apricot crumb pie;
• raspberry crumble pie is amazing;
• cherry crumble pie is one of my favorites;
• other filling ideas – fresh juicy plums, rhubarb, peaches, nutella… 

Gastronomic pleasure is guaranteed in any case!

Ingredients for Italian strawberry crumb cake (my baking form is 23cm in diameter):

For the dough:

• 300 g (2 ⅜ cups) flour
• 100 g butter (7 Tbsp) (cold from the fridge)
• 2 eggs
• 100 g (½ cup) sugar
• 8 g (1 ¾ tsp) baking powder
• vanilla extract
• grated peel of 1 lemon

Strawberry filling:

• 400 g (2 ¼ cups) strawberries
• 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
• 1 Tbsp (rounded) potato starch
• 1 tsp lemon juice

How to make strawberry crumble cake

Prepare the dough: mix flour, sugar, grated zest, baking powder and vanilla

Add cold butter (cut in cubes) and mix everything with your hands to form the crumbs

Add eggs and mix with your hands again until large crumbs form (no need to knead) – just mix quickly with your hands before the butter has melted. Leave the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes

Cut the strawberries into medium pieces

Add sugar, starch and lemon juice. Cook over low heat (stirring constantly) for 2 minutes. Then let the strawberries cool completely

Put 2/3 of the dough crumbs on the bottom of the cake dish

Put the strawberry filling on the dough crumbs

Sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining dough crumbs

Bake for about 50 minutes at 180°C (350°F) until golden brown. Be sure to leave the finished strawberry crostata to cool completely (so that the filling cools and thickens). Bon appetit!