Is Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Cake a crumble or a cheesecake? We will never know this! I can just assure you that this cake is so good that is impossible to replace. A generous layer of creamy lemon filling perfectly complements the fresh taste and crunchiness of the shortcrust pastry crumbs. Simply delicious and flavorful.

Yields: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total: 40 mins

Why this recipe works:
- Easy to make. There are no extraordinary talents or tricks required to pull off this task. Preparing this special lemon crumb cake is literally a matter of mixing a few ingredients for the crust, pressing the crust into a pan, mixing up the batter, pouring it, using the remaining crust to add the crumbly toppings, and finally baking it. In fact, you’ll not need to let the dough rest but you can immediately move on to the composition.
- Make ahead. You can prepare this goodness up to 2 days ahead before serving it. However, I always prefer preparing before sleeping to let it chill overnight and then finding it perfectly set the next day.
- Pregnancy friendly. No need to look up pasteurized mascarpone or cream cheese since the cake is baked in the oven. Moreover, it has much less sugar than any other dessert recipe or store-bought cake you’ll find around.
- Enjoy year-round. It’s refreshing in spring and summer and appetizing on colder winter days. Depending on the season top with fresh berries or white chocolate chips.
Seriously, now take an hour off, and armed with all the ingredients listed below we will create the best cake you have ever tasted! You might even kick yourself for not making it sooner.
Ingredients

How to make Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Cake:
Before starting, you need to preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare crust and crumbs mixture. Firstly in a mixing bowl put eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, cold butter cubed, lemon rind, and salt. If you prefer, you might want to use a mixer. Mix until you get a crumbled mixture.
Mix up the batter. To prepare the cream, put the cream cheese, grated rind of a lemon, juice of 2 lemons, sugar, egg, and gelatine. Mix with the whisker until you get a creamy mixture
Assembly. For baking, check that the oven is heated at 180 degrees. Then grease a 20cm mold. Add 3/4 of the base mixture in the pan and press tightly until you cover it to keep 4-5cm high. Pour the cheese mixture inside and level with the spatula. Using your hands, crumble the remaining base mixture and use it as a topping for the cheesecake.
Bake. Finally, bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees.
Cool. After taking the cake out of the oven, wait until it is completely cold, then refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours. If you don’t have enough time refrigerate or put in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Serve. Before serving, decorate with icing sugar and enjoy!

Accompaniments and Sides
If they’re in season, top the cheesecake with fresh raw cherries or berries making a perfect combination with the lemon filling and crumbly crust. I find this best suiting as a dessert after lunch or as a sweet treat for the afternoon tea.

You might like more…
Crumble recipes:
- Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
- Blackberry and Apple Crumble – Mary Berry’s Winter Crumble Tart
- Mary Berry Apple Crumble
Or other Italian dessert recipes:

Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Cake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Tired of the usual cheesecake? This lemon cheesecake crumble is like a breath of fresh air, crunchy with shortcrust pastry crumbs on the outside and creamy and delicious inside. Cheesecake can seem intimidating to make, but this truly is a great recipe to get your feet wet.
Ingredients
For the Base
- 2 cups Flour (300g)
- 3 1/2 oz Butter (100g)
- 1/4 cup Sugar (50g)
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Lemon zest, grated
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
For the Filling
- 2 1/4 cup Mascarpone (500g)
- 2 Lemons
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/3 cup Sugar (80g)
Instructions
For the base and topping
- In a mixing bowl or using a mixer, put eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, cold butter cubed, lemon zest and salt.
- Mix until you get a crumbled mixture.
For the filling
- To prepare the cream, put the mascarpone cheese, grated lemon zest (1 lemon), lemon juice (2 lemons), sugar, egg and xanthan gum
- Mix with the whisker until you get a creamy mixture
For Assembly
- Grease an 8 inch mold (20cm).
- Add 3/4 of the base mixture in the pan and press tightly until you cover it to keep it 4-5cm high.
- Pour the cheese mixture inside and level with the spatula.
- Using your hands, crumble the remaining base mixture and use it as a topping for the cheesecake.
Baking & Serving
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Take the cake out of the oven, wait until it is completely cold, then refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours
- Before serving it you can either decorate with icing sugar or use fresh cherries or berries as a topping.
Notes
Xanthan Gum: It can be replaced by a teaspoon of Gelatin Powder for non-vegetarians.
Mascarpone Cheese: It can be replaced by Cream Cheese, you can use half Mascarpone Cheese and half Cream Cheese mix or you can even replace it with Greek Yogurt (5-10% fat)
Storage: The Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Cake can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: I have never freezer it myself but it can be frozen for up to a month. To thaw, remove it from the freezer a day before and place it to thaw in the refrigerator.
Serving: Optionally you can either decorate with icing sugar or use fresh cherries or berries as a topping when in season.
The calorie information does not include any optional toppings
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 273
- Fat: 27
- Saturated Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 117
Keywords: cheesecake crumb, cheesecake crumb cake, cream cheese crumb cake, lemon cheesecake crumble, sbriciolata al limone