The Tangy Delights Of Sour Cherry And Lemon In A Classic Italian Tart: Crostata Amalfitana (VIDEO)
The Crostata Amalfitana blends tangy sour cherries & zesty lemon custard in a delicate, buttery tart shell. A harmonious medley of flavors & textures.
This classic Italian tart marries the vibrant flavors of sour cherries and zesty lemons in a harmonious blend that captures the essence of Campania’s rich pastry tradition. As you delve into this recipe, you’ll discover the artful combination of a tender shortcrust pastry enveloping a silky lemon-infused custard, studded with jewel-like sour cherries. The Crostata Amalfitana exemplifies the region’s commitment to timeless flavors and meticulous craftsmanship, offering you a slice of la dolce vita in every bite.
The Classic Flavors of Amalfi: Sour Cherries and Lemon
The Crostata Amalfitana is a delightful fusion of two iconic flavors from the Amalfi Coast: sour cherries and lemons. This classic Italian tart showcases the region’s culinary heritage, combining a buttery shortcrust pastry with a luscious lemon custard and juicy amarena cherries. The vibrant acidity of the lemon custard perfectly balances the sweet-tart notes of the sour cherries, creating a harmonious blend. This amarena and lemon custard tart embodies the essence of Amalfi’s sun-drenched orchards and fragrant citrus groves, offering a true taste of la dolce vita in every bite.
How to Make Crostata Amalfitana (Sour Cherries and Lemon Custard Tart)
The Cream and Sour Cherry Tart is a delicious sweet, typical of the Campania region, also known as the Amalfi Tart. It’s made with a lemon scented shortcrust pastry base that holds a filling of creamy custard and cherries in syrup. The whole thing is decorated with powdered sugar. A heavenly dessert! I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it just like me (and most Italians). Like all traditional recipes, the tart with cherries and custard cream is prepared differently by every family. This is my version, which uses the custard cream recipe from an Italian pastry master and the cherries in syrup, which I absolutely love.
Follow my suggestions and you will not go wrong, you will prepare a dessert that will drive your guests crazy!
Only 2 tips:
- Drain the sour cherries well from the syrup
- Let the cake rest and enjoy it cold
Crostata Amalfitana Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry ingredients:
- 200 g butter at room temperature (1¾ sticks)
- 75 g icing sugar (⅔ cup)
- 40 g honey (2 tbsp)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or baking vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 g salt (1 tsp)
- 4 g lukewarm water (1/2 tablespoon)
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 300 g flour 00 or all-purpose flour (2½ cups)
Lemon Custard ingredients:
- 400 ml whole cow milk (1⅔ cups plus 1 tbsp)
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 6 egg yolks
- 120 g granulated sugar (½ cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 30 g corn starch (¼ cup)
- 20 g all-purpose flour or flour 00 (2 tbsp plus 2 tsp)
Amalfi Tart ingredients:
- 160 g sour cherries or Amarena cherries (1 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- Icing sugar
Crostata Amalfitana Step-by-step Instructions
Prepare the shortcrust pastry:
Mash the soft but still firm butter in a bowl until creamy, using a fork. Add the sugar, honey, vanilla and egg yolk to the bowl. Mix everything together continuously with the fork. The goal is for the butter to absorb the honey and sugar without being whipped.
Add the salt into the small amount of lukewarm water, and stir with a spoon, making sure it dissolves completely. Add the salt solution, lemon zest, and sifted flour to the bowl (1). Begin mixing with the fork and then switch to using hands. Knead the mixture quickly, taking care not to overheat the dough. The dough is ready when hands stay clean (2).
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 times, just until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough with hands, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight (3). This stabilizes the fats and sugars, making the dough easier to work with when rolling.
Prepare the lemon custard:
Place a medium bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes. Bring milk and lemon zest in a saucepan to a boil.
In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and sifted flours with a hand whisk until smooth and creamy, but do not whip (4).
Pour the milk through a strainer (5) into the bowl little by little, mixing after every addition (6). Transfer the mixture to the saucepan used to boil the milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk (7). When the lemon custard thickens, transfer to the cold bowl to cool quickly (8). Continue stirring until the temperature reaches 50 °C (122 °F), below the cooking point (9). You can check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer, or mix for 5 minutes while letting the cream cool. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation and let cool completely.
Assemble the tart:
Once the shortcrust pastry and custard have cooled, it’s time to assemble the cake!
Allow the chilled dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then start assembly.
On a floured surface, roll the dough to 7-8 millimeters thickness and use a 20 cm diameter springform pan (8 Inch Non-stick Springform Pan with Removable Bottom) to trace a circle (10). Lay the circle in the buttered and floured cake pan. Form the remaining dough into a cylinder along the cake pan edges to cover well. Prick the edges with a knife tip to form patterns, and the bottom to prevent swelling during cooking. Refrigerate the remaining dough until ready to cut strips.
Add half the sour cherries, drained of syrup, to the bottom. Add the custard (11) and remaining cherries, some on the surface and others slightly deeper.
Roll the remaining pastry to 3 mm thickness and cut 1.5 cm strips to arrange in diamonds on the tart, removing excess edges with a knife (12).
Bake in the preheated static oven at 175 °C (347 °F) for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
Let the tart cool in the pan for 1 hour, then turn out and cool completely at room temperature for 5 hours. Dust with icing sugar only when completely cold and enjoy your Crostata Amalfitana! Delicious at room temperature in any season!
Watch Crostata Amalfitana Video Tutorial
How to Store the Crostata Amalfitana Cake
You can store your sour cherries and lemon custard tart in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.
You can freeze the raw shortcrust pastry for 2 months and store the lemon custard in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for a couple days.
Serving Suggestions for the Amalfitana Tart
The Crostata Amalfitana, with its delightful combination of sour cherries and lemon custard, is a versatile dessert that shines in various settings.
Serve this Amarena and lemon custard tart as a show-stopping finale to an Italian-inspired dinner party, allowing guests to savor the harmonious blend of tangy and sweet flavors.
For a more casual affair, pair slices of this Amalfitana tart with a scoop of vanilla gelato or a dollop of whipped cream to enhance its refreshing profile. To truly embrace the Amalfi Coast spirit, accompany each serving with a chilled glass of limoncello or a sweet dessert wine, perfectly complementing the tart’s citrusy notes and the richness of the sour cherries.
The Tangy Delights Of Sour Cherry And Lemon In A Classic Italian Tart: Crostata Amalfitana
Equipment
- 1 20 cm (8 inch) springform cake pan
Ingredients
For Shortcrust Pastry:
- 200 g butter at room temperature
- 75 g icing sugar
- 40 g honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or baking vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 g salt
- 4 g lukewarm water
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 300 g flour 00 or all-purpose flour
For Lemon Custard:
- 400 ml whole cow milk
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 6 egg yolks
- 120 g granulated sugar
- 30 g corn starch
- 20 g all-purpose flour or flour 00
For Amalfi Tart:
- 160 g sour cherries or Amarena cherries in syrup
- Icing sugar
Instructions
Prepare the shortcrust pastry:
- Mash the soft but still firm butter in a bowl until creamy, using a fork.
- Add the sugar, honey, vanilla and egg yolk to the bowl. Mix everything together continuously with the fork.
- Add the salt into the small amount of lukewarm water, and stir with a spoon, making sure it dissolves completely.
- Add the salt solution, lemon zest, and sifted flour to the bowl. Begin mixing with the fork and then switch to using hands. Knead the mixture quickly, taking care not to overheat the dough. The dough is ready when hands stay clean.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 times, just until the dough comes together.
- Flatten the dough with hands, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Prepare the lemon custard:
- Place a medium bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Bring milk and lemon zest in a saucepan to a boil.
- In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and sifted flours with a hand whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the milk through a strainer into the bowl little by little, mixing after every addition.
- Transfer the mixture to the saucepan used to boil the milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
- When the lemon custard thickens, transfer to the cold bowl to cool quickly. Continue stirring until the temperature reaches 50 °C (122 °F), below the cooking point. You can check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer, or mix for 5 minutes while letting the cream cool.
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation and let cool completely.
Assemble the tart:
- Allow the chilled dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then start assembly.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough to 7-8 millimeters thickness and use a 20 cm diameter springform pan to trace a circle. Lay the circle in the buttered and floured cake pan.
- Form the remaining dough into a cylinder along the cake pan edges to cover well. Prick the edges with a knife tip to form patterns, and the bottom to prevent swelling during cooking. Refrigerate the remaining dough until ready to cut strips.
- Add half the sour cherries, drained of syrup, to the bottom. Add the custard and remaining cherries, some on the surface and others slightly deeper.
- Roll the remaining pastry to 3 mm thickness and cut 1.5 cm strips to arrange in diamonds on the tart, removing excess edges with a knife.
- Bake in the preheated static oven at 175 °C (347 °F) for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the tart cool in the pan for 1 hour, then turn out and cool completely at room temperature for 5 hours.
- Dust with icing sugar only when completely cold and enjoy your Crostata Amalfitana!
