Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumble Tart

By dorchuk

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (for topping)
• 1 pound cream cheese, softened (for filling)
• 1/3 cup sugar (for topping)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar (for filling)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (for topping)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (for filling)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (for filling)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (for topping)
• 1 pound strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved or quartered if large, or left whole if very small (reserve 1 perfect whole berry) (for filling)
• 1/4 cup slivered or whole blanched almonds, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (for topping)
• Confectioners' sugar in a shaker, for finishing
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (for topping)
• 1 unbaked Cookie Dough Tart Crust, prepared up to the end of step 9

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from ivillage.com

Preparation

Step 1

Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350F.

For the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the almonds. Use a rubber spatula to stir in the butter. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes, then use your fingertips to break the mixture into 1/4- to 1/2-inch crumbs. Scatter the crumbs on the prepared pan.

Bake the tart crust in the lower third of the oven and the crumb topping in the upper third. After 10 minutes, remove the paper and beans from the tart shell and place it on the upper rack and the crumbs on the lower one.

Continue baking the tart shell until it is dry and light golden, another 15 to 20 minutes. Bake the crumb topping until it is deep golden and firm, another 10 to 15 minutes.

Cool the crust and the topping on racks. If the crumbs have clumped together during baking, let them cool completely and then use a bench scraper or table knife to chop them coarsely.

For the cream cheese filling, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed just until it is smooth. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue beating until lightened, about 1 minute.
To assemble the tart, spread half the cream cheese filling on the bottom of the tart crust and arrange the berries on it, cut side down. Spread the remaining filling over the berries. Evenly scatter the crumb topping over the filling. Right before serving, lightly dust the topping with confectioners’ sugar and place the reserved berry in the center of the tart. Serving: Unmold the tart and slide it off the pan base to a platter. Serve wedges of the tart; it needs no accompaniment.