This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is Crumb-Topped Ricotta Coffee Cake Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Dorie – a light cake topped with berries and a crunchy crumb topping.
Dorie says:
Whenever I serve this cake, someone compares it to a favorite bakery or boxed cake from their childhood. That’s not what I’d set out to do when I first made the cake, but it’s been my goal ever since because I, too, have good memories of a store-bought cake like this one. The cake is tight-grained but tender. It’s made with ricotta, which is part of why it’s tender and part of why its flavor is so distinctive.
I like to sprinkle berries over the batter as a middle layer—they add color, another taste, and a nice surprise—and then go heavy on the crumbs, so heavy that there are almost equal parts cake and crumbs, sweet, crunchy crumbs. The secret to the crumbs’ crunch is the cornmeal.
I love the idea of this cake and was very enthusiastic about it – until I realised I’d be making it where it’s SO hot here in Southwest France. It’s going to be over 35˚C for the foreseeable future – thankfully it cools down a fair bit at night but still… doesn’t exactly make you want to turn on the oven). Of course, I planned on minifying this recipe anyway so what better way to 1. minify and 2. have the oven on for less time than to make CUPCAKES? Right?
These were absolutely perfect – a light fluffy base, beautiful jammy berries and a crumb with actual CRUNCH (not a given!). Bonus? Half the recipe made 10 cupcakes. 25 minutes baking time (saving 20-35 minutes which in a heatwave counts a lot!)
I’ll be making these again!
Get the recipe for Crumb Topped Ricotta Coffee Cake on p 79 of Baking with Dorie or here.
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Buy Baking with Dorie on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store geographically closest to you) or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Then join us over on Tuesdays with Dorie and bake your way through the book!
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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Baking with Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.
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Love the idea of cupcakes!
Cutting up 16 squares from a big cake is messy. The use of smallish cup cakes make a lot of sense.
these are PERFECT for muffins. That’s what I’ll do next time.
Great job at minifying the recipe and I wouldn’t want to bake in that heat either. I am looking forward to making this tomorrow.
So good! Great idea on the cupcakes.
perfect as muffins!! a good treat to be able to neatly take on the go, too.
Yes, these were pretty much perfect. Light, with a nice crisp top. Perfect small snack or dessert…
So fun to hear about you making these when you were in your home in France. They are really beautiful to look at, and I love the idea of making muffins out of them, I’m noting that in my book, thank you. I know I will make this recipe again, Mark was so enthusiastic about the taste. I’m catching up a bit…lateness of comment, etc.