Crumb-Topped Ricotta Coffee Cake | Baking with Dorie

Dorie compares the crumb-topped ricotta coffee cake to fond memories she has of a store-bought cake just like it. I can’t really relate to that since I don’t buy too many cakes, and certainly, not a coffee cake. Most of the store-bought coffee cakes, are either too sweet for my taste or unremarkable. However, this recipe from Baking with Dorie is nuanced and something to remember for.

There are three distinct visible layers in the ricotta coffee cake. The cake batter has ricotta in it, in addition to the usual ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, eggs and butter). Then, there are fresh berries over the batter in the middle layer. The top layer is packed with the sweet and crunchy crumbs.

Each layer stands on its own and plays a different role. The cake is tender, mostly due to the ricotta. I presume yogurt could deliver similar texture. In the middle layer, there is a healthy amount of berries (over 1 1/2 cups of blueberries). Invariably they add color and freshness to the cake, which you don’t generally find in store-bought coffee cakes. On the top are the crumbs which have two kinds of sugar (granulated sugar and brown sugar) and a surprised ingredient of cornmeal, making the crumbs super crunchy. Furthermore, the crumbs can readily come off if you like the cake less sweet.

I bake the cake in an 8-inch silicone square mold at 350°F for about 50 minutes. As a result, it’s taller or thicker than Dorie’s coffee cake baked in a 9-inch pan. Unmold after cooling for 10 minute, the cake is ready to cut into 16 squares. Or you can cut the cake as you go, your call!

This cake is very easy to like and goes well, as its name suggests, with a cup of coffee — my favorite beverage.

Links:

Baking with Dorie

Cookbooks by Dorie Greenspan

Tuesdays with Dorie