At Christmas, almost everything dresses up in red, this color always prevails both in decorations and in the presentation of some foods!
Thinking of red, I wanted to prepare a themed dessert, the Christmas Crumble Cake with Pomegranate and Yogurt, two layers of crumbly shortcrust pastry that enclose this soft and creamy filling of pomegranate jam ruby red, alternated with a layer of Greek yogurt, a mix of intense and particular flavors.
Also decorated with stars that are so Christmas and pomegranate seeds.
The crumble or sbrisolona is a typical Italian pastry cake, to be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack, or a sweet break at any time of the day.
At Christmas it is always appreciated as an alternative dessert to the classic ones, and it is perfect to enjoy with friends during an evening of card games.
It is made with shortcrust pastry which is made without a rolling pin , in fact, it is usually crumbled with your hands, and with a tasty filling of creams, ricotta, marmalade, different variations by changing the filling of your choice.
I liked it very much, I recommend you try it, use the mold you have at home, a round one is fine too, I used this rectangular one, perfect for slicing and portioning the tart into small slices.
Speaking of red, by changing the mold and set, just use a heart-shaped one for a red Valentine’s Day or a sweet thought for Mother’s Day.
In short, a sbrisolona with many variations, but now let’s find out step by step how to prepare it and if you want more ideas on other desserts, visit the Collection of my Christmas desserts.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for the crumble
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 whole egg (medium)
- 1 egg yolk (medium)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pomegranate jam (approximately)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
- q.b. biscuit stars
- q.b. pomegranate jam
- q.b. pomegranate seeds
Tools
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Tart Pan
- 2 Cookie Cutter
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Oven
Steps for the crumble
You can make it by hand in a bowl or use a stand mixer or food processor.
In a bowl or the stand mixer bowl, pour the flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking powder, mix well, then add the soft butter and eggs, quickly work the dough until you get crumbs.
If the dough is too soft, add a sprinkle of flour.
Butter a rectangular or round mold and pour half of the mixture, compacting well with your hands to adhere evenly to all edges.
Prick the base and the entire edge with a fork.
In a bowl, mix the yogurt with powdered sugar well, it should be a thick cream.
You can always substitute it with mascarpone or whipped cream, according to your taste.Pour about 4 tablespoons of pomegranate jam into the shortcrust base, spread it over the entire surface, pour the yogurt cream in the center, and complete with more pomegranate jam, spreading it well with the back of a spoon.
Cover the surface with some of the crumbs set aside.
Roll out some dough with the rolling pin and make large and small stars, decorating the surface by forming diagonal stripes.
This step is optional, to make it faster you can just cover with the shortcrust crumbs.Make a small indentation in the center of the stars and insert a bit of jam, complete with little balls.
Finally, bake the crumble in a preheated and hot fan oven at 356°F for about 35 minutes, if you use the static mode increase the cooking time by about another 8 minutes.
Naturally, the cooking time varies according to the power of your oven, adjust visually to decide if you need to continue baking, the crumble is ready when it is golden brown.
Once the baking time is up, take it out of the oven and let it cool, in the mold, before removing it.
Remove the crumble carefully from the mold, add the pomegranate seeds, and just before serving, you can also sprinkle it with a bit of powdered sugar if you wish!
Slice and serve in portions according to your needs!
Storage, Tips and Variations
You can store the crumble at room temperature but in a cool place for about 1 day under a glass dome, or in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
You can also freeze it either before or after baking.
You can substitute the pomegranate jam with raspberry, strawberry, or another jam.
Yogurt with mascarpone or another creamy cheese.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use a different mold?
Yes, you can use a round mold of about 9.5-10.2 inches in diameter.
What can I substitute yogurt with?
With mascarpone, ricotta, whipped cream, or another creamy cheese.
What if I don’t have pomegranate jam?
To keep with the red theme, you can use raspberry, red currant, strawberry, or cherry jam.
