Rich and delicious Torta della Nonna

Name: Rich and delicious Torta della Nonna
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: PT45-50M
Total time: PT45-50M
Yield: 8
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: For an 18cm cake tin:; 280g all-purpose flour; 90g sugar; 1 medium egg; 115g cold butter (vegan: I used unsalted Violife); Zest from one lemon; 1tsp vanilla paste/essence; pinch of salt; Pine nuts a handful; Icing sugar; For the custard filling:; 340ml milk (vegan: I used Alpro Barista Almond milk); 35g corn starch/maizena; 3 egg yolks; 65g sugar; Zest of a small lemon; ½ tsp vanilla extract

by Micaela Harrasser August 26, 2022

August 26, 2022

Originally from Tuscany, this cake is celebrated across Italy for its beautiful aesthetics and gorgeous and comforting flavors. It’s a cake made with pasta frolla (shortcrust pastry) with a generous filling of rich custard cream. The lid is then generously dusted with pine nuts and icing sugar. Divine!

The crusty, flaky shell balances perfectly the fresh and delicate heart of lemon scented custard. My recipe is also dairy free but you can use dairy butter & milk with same amounts! For a slightly lighter version, you can omit the top pastry layer and dust the pine nuts on top of the custard cream.

The custard has some lemon zest to give it a nice, zesty twist. You can use this easy, dairy free custard recipe for other purposes, like fruit tarts! There’s also a torta del nonno (grandpa’s cake) variant, with chocolate cream filling and covered with almonds! Stay tuned for that one 😉

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Rich and delicious Torta della Nonna

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 min Cooking Time: 45-50 min 45-50 min Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

For an 18cm cake tin:

280g all-purpose flour
90g sugar
1 medium egg
115g cold butter (vegan: I used unsalted Violife)
Zest from one lemon
1tsp vanilla paste/essence
pinch of salt
Pine nuts a handful
Icing sugar

For the custard filling:

340ml milk (vegan: I used Alpro Barista Almond milk)
35g corn starch/maizena
3 egg yolks
65g sugar
Zest of a small lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

First let’s start with the custard cream: on a pot, add the milk with lemon zest and half of the sugar, and heat up on medium heat until almost boiling. When it’s ready, tun it off.
In a bowl, quickly combine the egg yolks + the remaining sugar and vanilla extract, and mix well with a whisk.
Add the maizena and incorporate well to avoid lumps.
Now it’s time to temper the egg mixture: add a little bit of the warmed milk to the egg mixture, and mix very well.
Add a bit more and mix.
Continue until you added about 60-70% of the warm milk.
Mix well to ensure there are no lumps, then transfer the mixture back to the pot.
Place back on low heat. Continue mixing until it thickens to a dense and creamy paste, 5-10 minutes.
Once done, transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film, and place in the fridge to cool down.
Let’s move to the pasta frolla (pie dough): in a mixer or on your work surface, combine flour with the cubed cold butter and mix together until the butter is completely coated by the flour and reduced in size: what you are looking for is a grainy consistency. If using the mixer, work with pulses.
Once done, make a hole in the center and add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, egg, lemon zest, vanilla paste, pinch of salt).
Mix quickly to incorporate all the ingredients without getting the butter to melt. You aim for a smooth, even block of dough.
Shape it as a flat disk and cover with cling film.
Store in the fridge for at least 30 min.
Turn the oven on to 160C and butter the cake tin.
Take the dough and make an even, flat circle of about 2-3mm width.
Transfer to the cake tin and gently press with your fingers to make the dough adhere to the tin.
With a fork, make holes to the bottom layer to ensure even cooking.
With the leftover dough, make another disk with the same width.
Fill in the cake tin evenly with the custard cream, then cover the cake with the second disk of dough.
Pierce the top with the fork a few times.
Optional: brush some of the leftover egg white onto the top of the cake – this will help getting that luscious golden top.
Generously cover the top with pine nuts.
Transfer to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes, until lightly golden.
Then increase the temperature to 180C and cook for an extra 10 minutes to get a nice golden surface.
Remove and let it cool down completely before removing from the cake tin.
Generously dust with icing sugar, and serve!