Crostata di Marmellata (Italian Jam Tart)

This crostata di marmellata (Italian jam tart) has a tender, buttery crust and a sweet and flavorful apricot jam filling. For ease, I've chosen to use high quality store bought jam, but you can use homemade jam or preserves if you have some! The tart uses an easy workable dough to make a simple lattice design. No intricate weaving required.

Crostata di marmellata is a traditional rustic dessert made throughout Italy. The shortcrust pastry dough (pasta frolla in Italian) is made with baking powder for a light and slightly soft texture. Pasta frolla is a sweet and buttery dough that is a staple in Italian baking.

I've used it in this pasta frola, an Argentine tart made with quince paste, and for another Italian crostata recipe with chocolate hazelnut filling, crostata alla nutella. I adapted the crostata dough slightly to make rich filled Nutella biscuits. It's a wonderfully easy dough to mix up, and handles beautifully.

Traditional recipes for Italian jam tarts usually features a filling of homemade jam made from the season's latest abundance, whether apricots, peaches, cherries, plums, or a myriad of other options.

Since this is a recipe that can be baked year-round, I opted to use a good quality jam from the store for ease. If possible, choose one with a limited amount of ingredients (fruit, sugar, pectin, and citric acid or lemon juice) and less sugar.

If you're in need of a visually enticing, no fuss recipe for a coffee get-together or dinner party, look no further than this easy jam tart!

For other Italian desserts, consider these Baci di Alassio, chewy flourless chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies, shortbread canestrelli cookies made with hard boiled egg yolks, or torta tenerina, a flourless chocolate torte.

Ingredients

* See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total quantity of salt in the recipe. Salt content in salted butter varies by brand. The butter should be at room temperature.

Lemon zest - Zest provides a wonderful, bright citrus flavor and aroma. It smells so good when it's baking! I use a microplane to easily zest citrus fruits.

Baking powder - Baking powder is included in pasta frolla dough to give it a softer, lighter texture.

Eggs - I use large eggs in my recipes. The eggs should be at room temperature.

Apricot jam - For ease, this recipe calls for good quality store bought jam. If you have homemade jam, feel free to use it here! The jar I purchased contained 370 grams (13 ounces), but you can easily use up to 450 grams (16 ounces).

Instructions

All you need is an easy pasta frolla dough and a jar of jam. These photos will walk you through the process. See the recipe card for detailed instructions.

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined. Add lemon zest and mix again.

Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix on medium low speed until mixture resembles fine sand.

Add egg and egg yolk. Mix on low speed just until mixture comes together. Do not overmix.

Gather dough into a rectangle. Divide dough into two uneven portions - ⅓ of the dough, and the other ⅔. Flatten both dough pieces into a round disc.

Roll out larger dough disc between two pieces of parchment paper. It should be ⅛" (3mm) thick. Loosen parchment on both sides.

Place dough into tart pan. Press dough into pan where the base meets the sides. Trim excess dough from edge of the tart pan with a knife held parallel to work surface. Place tart pan in refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll remaining dough to ⅛" thick. Place on sheet pan and chill in refrigerator. After chilling, cut the dough into long ¾" wide strips. Place back on sheet pan into refrigerator to chill.

Spoon jam into the chilled tart shell.

When working with dough for lattice, make sure you chill the dough well first. Cut the lattice strips after you chill the rolled out dough, and then place back into the refrigerator again until cool.

Place half of the lattice strips on the tart in one direction. Press down gently on the edges to seal them.

If the lattice strips become too soft as you are placing them on the crostata, put them back in the fridge again for a few minutes.

Place the top layer of lattice strips at an angle to the bottom layer of strips to create an X shape. The holes between the lattice strips should resemble diamonds. Use a knife to trim the ends that overhang.

Place tart in freezer to chill for 10 minutes.

Chill the fully assembled crostata for at least 10 minutes (I put it in the freezer) before baking to ensure the butter in the dough is cold.

Variations

• Try Different Jams: While apricot jam is classic, don't be afraid to experiment! Raspberry, blackberry, fig, or plum jam all work wonderfully. For a unique flavor, try my pineapple jam recipe for a bright, tangy contrast to the rich, buttery crust.
• How to Make It Less Sweet: If you find most jams too sweet, this trick is for you. Simply substitute ⅓ of the apricot jam with orange marmalade. The natural bitterness of the marmalade cuts the sweetness for a more balanced flavor.
• Pairing Citrus Zest and Jam: Elevate the flavor by matching the citrus zest in the dough to the fruit filling.
  • Lemon Zest: Pairs well with blackberry, raspberry, or blueberry jam.
  • Orange Zest: Perfect with plum, fig, or apricot jam.
  • Lime Zest: A surprising and delicious match for strawberry or mango jam.
• Add Spices to the Crust: Add warm spices directly to the dough for a more complex flavor.
  • Cinnamon & Ginger: A classic pairing with apricot or peach jam.
  • Cardamom & Nutmeg: Excellent with berry jams like blueberry or blackberry.

Equipment

One secret to a great tart crust is rolling the dough to a uniform thickness. The best way to do this is with a set of pastry guides.

I use acrylic pastry guides from Fat Daddio's because I can still use my favorite rolling pin and they guarantee a perfectly even tart shell every time. This set has pairs of 3, 6 and 10mm acrylic guides - roughly ⅛", ¼" and ½".

I use a pie shield to protect the outer tart crust from browning too soon. If you don't have a pie shield, you can use strips of aluminum foil.

A half sheet baking pan (18 x 13 inches) keeps the base of the tart from browning too quickly and catches any drips or spills. Sometimes a bit of butter leaks from the bottom of the tart. Save yourself the work of cleaning the oven and use a baking sheet underneath!

Parchment paper is great for placing under the tart pan to catch any drips.

A pastry wheel makes cutting lattice strips easy. It has two wheels with a plain side and a fluted side. The fluted side makes the pretty scalloped edge you see on the lattice in this recipe.

Frequently asked questions

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Crostata di Marmellata (Italian Jam Tart)

This crostata di marmellata (Italian jam tart) has a tender, buttery crust and a sweet and flavorful apricot jam filling. For ease, this recipe uses good quality store bought jam, but you can certainly use homemade jam or preserves if you have some! The tart is topped with a simple lattice design. No intricate weaving required.

AuthorKathleen Culver

Prep time45 minutes minutes

Cook time33 minutes minutes

Chill time40 minutes minutes

Total time2 hours hours

Servings12 servings

½x1x2x3x4x

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

INGREDIENTS

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 170 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 100 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ lemon zest, from 1 lemon
• ▢ 300 grams all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, Diamond Crystal
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• ▢ 370 grams apricot jam, or other flavor
• ▢ 30 grams powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Pasta Frola Dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add lemon zest and mix again.
  170 grams unsalted butter, 100 grams granulated sugar, lemon zest
• Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix on medium low speed until mixture resembles fine sand. Scrape down the bowl several times to ensure no large pieces of butter remain.
  300 grams all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Add egg and egg yolk. Mix on low speed just until mixture comes together. Do not over mix.
  1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
• Gather dough into a rectangle. Separate the dough into two uneven portions - one should be ⅔ of the dough, and the other should be ⅓. Flatten each dough piece into a round disc.

Tart Base

• Roll out the larger piece of dough between two pieces of parchment paper (or a lightly floured surface, if you don't have parchment). It should be about ⅛" thick and the circle should be an inch wider than your tart pan on each side. Peel the parchment off of the top, and then replace. Flip the dough over while still sandwiched between parchment layers. Peel off the second parchment layer and discard.
• Carefully flip the dough upside down onto the tart pan. If any cracks or tears occur, patch with extra dough scraps. Press dough to ensure no air pockets remain between dough and pan.
• Trim excess dough from the edge of the tart pan with a knife held parallel to your work surface.
• Place tart base in refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Combine scraps with remaining third of dough. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment. Place on a sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator as well.

Lattice Top

• Remove the remaining ⅓ sheet of dough from the refrigerator. Loosen both layers of parchment paper, but keep the dough on a parchment base. Using a ruler and a sharp knife, cut the dough into long ¾-inch (~2 cm) wide strips. Place the sheet pan of strips back in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling

Crostata Assembly

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius, Gas mark 4).
• Remove the lattice strips and the chilled tart base from the refrigerator.
• Spoon the jam into the tart shell and smooth the filling.
  370 grams apricot jam
• Lattice base layer: Place half of the lattice strips on the tart in one direction, spacing them ¾-inch (~2 cm) apart. Gently press the ends onto the tart base to seal them.
• Place the remaining strips on top at an angle to the base strips to create an X shape. The holes between the strips should resemble diamonds. Once the full pattern is in place, use a knife to trim the overhanging ends.
• Place the entire assembled tart in the freezer for 10 minutes. This ensures the dough is very cold before baking. Make sure the tart is level!

Bake and Serve

• Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 32-34 minutes, until the crust and lattice are golden brown and the jam is bubbling. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For clean slices, refrigerate the tart for at least 1 hour before serving.

  Sprinkle with powdered sugar directly before serving.
  30 grams powdered sugar

EQUIPMENT

• round tart pan 9.5 inches (24 cm)
• Pastry guides
• pastry wheel
• pie shield

NOTES

• Tart dough -When working with the dough, if it ever feels too soft, simply place it back in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to chill before moving on to the next step. Working with cool (but not completely stiff) dough makes assembling this tart so much easier!
• Other jam flavors - While apricot is the most traditional flavor of jam for an Italian crostata recipe, feel free to substitute any good quality jam in your pantry or fridge, whether store bought or homemade.
• Jam quantity - This recipe calls for 370 grams (13 ounces) of jam. It's flexible, so you can easily use anywhere between 340-450 grams (12-16 ounces) depending on the jam you have available.
• Slicing - The jam filling is easiest to slice cleanly when chilled. Chill in the refrigerator until closer to serving time, but give the crust about 20-30 minutes to warm up for best flavor.
• Store: Keep this tart (well wrapped) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: To freeze leftovers, wrap with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove plastic wrap to avoid condensation making the crust soggy. Defrost in the refrigerator prior to serving.