Crostata di Marmellata
Buttery jam tart with a lattice top.
Ingredients
- 300 g All-purpose flour
- 150 g Butter
- 120 g Sugar
- 2 Egg
- 200 g Jam
- 1 Lemon (optional)
Method
- Rub the cold butter into the flour and sugar with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, then mix in the egg and lemon zest and bring it together into a smooth pastry without overworking it.
- Wrap the pastry and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes so it firms up and rolls cleanly.
- Roll about three-quarters of the pastry out and line a tart tin with it, spread the jam evenly over the base, then roll the rest, cut it into strips, and lay them over the top in a lattice.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) until the pastry is golden and the jam is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
- Cool the crostata fully before slicing so the jam sets.
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About Crostata di Marmellata
Crostata di marmellata is the everyday jam tart of Italian home kitchens, a member of the pasta frolla (sweet shortcrust) family that turns up on countless kitchen counters cooling under a tea towel. What defines it is its plainness in the best sense: a rich, biscuity pastry sweetened just enough and bound with egg and a lift of lemon zest, spread with whatever jam the household has on hand and finished with a woven lattice top. It sits somewhere between a cookie and a cake, more rustic than a French tarte, and it is as much a breakfast and merenda food in Italy as it is a dessert.
The eating experience is all about contrast: a crumbly, buttery shell that shatters slightly under the fork against a warm, glossy pool of fruit that concentrates and caramelizes at the edges as it bakes. The lemon zest keeps the sweetness from turning cloying and echoes the tartness of the jam, whether you reach for apricot, cherry, or a dark berry. This version leans on the details that actually matter — rubbing cold butter into the flour by fingertip for a short, tender crumb, and chilling the dough a full half hour so the lattice rolls and cuts cleanly rather than tearing. Bake it until the pastry is golden and the jam bubbles, then let it cool so the filling sets; a slice with espresso or a glass of milk is the traditional way to eat it.
Crostata di Marmellata: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Crostata di Marmellata?
A serving has about 381 calories — 5.9g protein, 57.7g carbs, 17g fat, 0.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Crostata di Marmellata gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains All-purpose flour. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Crostata di Marmellata dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Crostata di Marmellata take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 21 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Crostata di Marmellata?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out lemon — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Crostata di Marmellata make?
This recipe makes 8 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.