Crostata di frutta
September has arrived, and so has the urge to bake.
Truth be told, it’s still too hot outside to turn the oven on and heat up the kitchen. The cool weekend mornings that call for baked apple desserts, cakes made with rich ricotta, and other comfort baked goods are still a few weeks away. As someone on Substack recently commented, summer has ended, but fall hasn’t arrived yet.
Nonetheless, I have the urge to bake, and an end-of-summer crostata di frutta is a seasonally appropriate solution. With a shortbread-like pasta frolla crust topped first with homemade pastry cream, then with berries and fruit of your choice, and finally a shiny tart glaze, it’s a pretty, fresh, and light dessert.
Making a crostata di frutta isn’t difficult, but it’s a multi-step process that requires some preparation, calls for a few key ingredients and a couple of helpful kitchen tools, and takes some time.
Key Ingredients
In addition to the usual flour, butter, sugar and eggs used for baking, the crostata di frutta calls for a few specialty ingredients. We usually buy ours online or stock up when we are in Italy, you may find them locally at a good Italian deli. We will link to the products at italysupermarket.com but they can be found on Amazon and other online vendors, too. These are not affiliate links. We’re not paid if you buy them; we just want our readers to know where to find these ingredients.
- Pane degli Angeli. This Italian leavening agent is a cornerstone ingredient in many Italian baked goods. Made of baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla aroma, you can substitute baking powder if you need to, but we buy a few boxes of Pane degli Angeli at a time and keep it on hand for our Italian baking.
- Torta Gel, made by Paneangeli, the same company that produces Pane degli Angeli, is a clear glaze made for fruit tarts.
- Doppio Zero flour. All-purpose unenriched flour will work just fine, but we prefer to use an Italian 00 flour, also called “doppio zero,” such as Antimo Caputo’s Chef’s Flour.
Kitchen tools
You can get by without any of these gadgets and bakeware, but having them will simplify things when making a crostata di frutta.
- Digital food scale that converts from pounds and ounces to kilograms and grams. In Italian recipes, ingredients are listed in grams. It’s so much easier and more precise than volume-based units of measure.
- Zester. Lemon and orange zest are staples in Italian baking. If you don’t have one, a zester is a worthwile addition to your repertoire of kitchen tools.
- Tart pan with a removable bottom. You can make a crostata di frutta in any bakeware you like, but a 9” tart pan with fluted edges and a removable bottom is extra-convenient and makes for a very pretty crostata.
Crostata alla Frutta
A classic Italian fruit tart made with a shortbread-style shell filled with homemade pastry cream and topped with fresh fruit and a tart glaze.
Ingredients
For the pasta frolla (shortbread crust)
- 200 grams flour
- 8 grams Pane degli Angeli, or substitute baking powder
- 80 grams sugar
- 80 grams butter, cubed
- 1 egg
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the crema pasticcera (pastry cream)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 heaping tablespoons flour
For the fruit topping
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Kiwi
- Fresh or canned peaches
For the glaze
- 2 packages Tortagel or other clear glaze for fruit tarts
- 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
- 300 milliliters water
Instructions
Prepare the pasta frolla
- Add the flour, Lievito Pane degli Angeli (or baking powder), sugar, butter, egg, and lemon zest to a mixing bowl.
- Mix on medium speed with a stand mixer until the dough is combined.
- Shape into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Prepare the crema pasticciera
- Add the yolks of two eggs to a small saucepan.
- Add two heaping tablespoons of sugar and stir until well mixed.
- Slowly add two cups of whole milk to the eggs and sugar, stirring constantly until well mixed.
- Using a tea strainer or sifter, slowly add two heaping tablespoons of flour to the liquid, stirring vigorously with a wire whisk to incorporate all the flour.
- Slice a small wedge from the zested lemon. Squeeze and discard the juice.
- Place the saucepan over low heat. Pierce the lemon wedge with a fork and use it to stir the pastry cream continuously until it thickens.
- When the cream thickens and comes to a boil, let it cook for 1-2 minutes longer, stirring continuously.
- Remove the cream from heat, pour it into a separate bowl, cover it with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to keep a film from forming on top, and allow it to cool.
Prepare the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit / 180° Celsius.
- Prepare a tart pan with butter and flour.
- Remove the pasta frolla from the refrigerator.
- Sprinkle flour onto a smooth surface and roll out the dough until it is big enough to fill the base and sides of your tart pan.
- Line the tart pan with the rolled-out dough, pressing it in so that the bottom and sides are equal in thickness.
- Trim any excess dough around the rim of the pan and press the dough to make a clean edge.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
Prepare the crostata
- Wash and dry the berries.
- Slice the strawberries, kiwi, and peaches into pieces.
- Spread the pastry cream over the cooled crust.
- Arrange the fruit on top of the cream in any pattern you like.
- Place the contents of two Tortagel packages in a small saucepan.
- Add two heaping tablespoons of sugar and 300 milliliters of water, and stir until the powdered gel and sugar are completely dissolved.
- Place over low heat and stir continuously.
- When the glaze boils, turn the heat to the lowest setting and let the glaze boil for one minute, stirring continuously.
- Remove the glaze from heat, transfer it into a new container, ideally one with a spout for pouring, and allow it to cool for 1 minute.
- Place the crostata onto a baking pan and pour the glaze over the crostata, working from the edges to the center in a spiral motion until the crostata is entirely covered in glaze, allowing the baking pan to collect any spills. You will not need all of the glaze, and it is okay if some of the peaks of fruit remain unglazed.
- Refrigerate the crostata for several hours before serving.
Notes
Italian 00 flour, such as Antimo Caputo Double Zero Flour, is ideal, but all-purpose flour will work fine.
Feel free to substitute with your favorite fruit.
