Photo: Natalie Levin
Apricot and Ricotta Brioche Cake with Almond Streusel
Servings 24 cm round cake pan
Ingredients
For the brioche dough:
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 4 grams instant dry yeast
- 40 grams sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. fine salt
- 100 grams butter cut into cubes
Ricotta and apricot filling:
- 250 grams ricotta cheese
- 50 grams sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 10-12 halved apricots
For almond streusel:
- 25 grams whole almonds
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
- 100 grams cold butter cut into cubes
- 80 grams light brown sugar
- Beaten egg for brushing
- Icing sugar for decoration
Instructions
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Brioche dough: in a bowl of a mixer with dough attachment, put flour, yeast, sugar, eggs and vanilla and knead on low speed until stiff dough begins to form.
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Add the salt and butter cubes and knead for 10-12 minutes until dough is slightly sticky.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. The dough does not rise too much during cooling, but it solidifies and becomes very convenient to work with.
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On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle with a thickness of about 1-2 cm and put in a greased pan, forming marginal walls (it should resembles pie crust).
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Ricotta and apricot filling: in a medium bowl put ricotta, sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until smooth.
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Pour the cheese filling into the crust and arrange apricot halves on top.
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Close the margin inside and press down slightly to adhere to the filling.
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Cover the cake with a damp towel and let rise for 1-2 hours until the almost doubled in size.
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Streusel: in a food processor with a steel blade put almonds, flour, butter and sugar and blend on high speed until crumble forms.
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Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
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Brush the dough parts of cake with beaten egg, and sprinkle almond streusel in the center.
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Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.
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Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Recipe Notes
- The ricotta brioche cake is best on the day of baking.
- You can use any kind of summer fruit instead of apricots, such as nectarines, cherries, grapes and so on.
- Instead of almonds you can use any other type of nut you like.
- It is recommended to slightly warm the cake before serving.