Fancy a delicious Italian dessert? The famous Torta della Nonna is a popular Tuscan classic made with shortcrust pastry, vanilla cream and pine nuts that you will fall in love with. Find out below what makes this Italian specialty so special and how you can bake it yourself at home.
Just like thatItalian chocolate cake Torta CapreseThe Torta della Nonna is also one of the most popular Italian cake specialties. This is a simple, rustic dessert that is popular throughout Italy.
Why you will love this Italian specialty
Torta della Nonna literally translates to “Grandma's cake” and evokes the image of a sweet, smiling grandma busy in her kitchen, baking her special cake for the grandchildren. In fact, this Italian custard tart was created in a restaurant kitchen and not in a grandmother's kitchen. The name rather suggests the simplicity of the recipe. A gentle vanilla cream is baked in a top and bottom crust made of shortcrust pastry and sprinkled with crunchy pine nuts and powdered sugar. The crunchy, nut-studded dough and soft, creamy center create a delicious combination in this tempting dessert.
This Italian cake is the ideal ending to any meal! The shortcrust pastry is slightly crunchy and extremely tender, with a hint of lemon, and the smooth vanilla pudding in the middle is a real delight. And best of all, the Torta della Nonna recipe uses only simple ingredients found in most kitchens. Try baking this delicious cake yourself and surprise your guests!
Ingredients:
For the pastry cream:
- 600 ml milk, full fat
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 g Feinzucker
- 30 g Flour
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 240 g Flour
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 140g butter, cut into small pieces
- 100 g Feinzucker
- 3 egg yolks
To garnish:
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Prepare the crema pasticcera (pastry cream) for the filling
- Heat the milk and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan until just boiling. Set aside and let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until light and creamy. Stir in the flour.
- Using a whisk, gradually (slowly) stir in the warm milk. Mix well so that no lumps form.
- Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Place back on the stove and stir with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Simmer for about a minute to cook the flour.
- Remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Press the foil lightly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside and let cool completely.
Make your own shortcrust pastry
- Place flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.Tipp:You can also knead the dough by hand, but it takes longer.
- Add the sugar and egg yolks and process until the mixture begins to pull away from the edges of the bowl. Remove, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for one hour.
Grandma's cake zubereiten
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a tart tin with a lifting base.
- Soak pine nuts in a small bowl of water.
- Divide the dough into two parts, one slightly larger than the other.
- Take the larger piece, flatten it and form a rough circle. Dust the dough lightly with flour. Then roll it out between two pieces of baking paper until it is large enough for the tart pan. If the dough sticks, dust it with a little more flour. Roll out the dough carefully with the rolling pin. Lift and place in the mold. Pull up the sides and let it fall into the corners. Repair any cracks with excess dough and finally trim the edges to the top of the mold.
- Spread the cooled vanilla cream on the base and smooth it out.
- Roll out the second piece of dough like the first and place it over the cream, gently pressing the edges together and cutting off the excess. Brush the top with water.
- Drain the pine nuts and sprinkle over the cake.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Allow the Italian grandma cake to cool and then carefully remove it from the mold and place it on a serving plate. Dust with plenty of powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Grandma's Italian-style cake – ideas and variations
- You can also prepare Torta della Nonna without a tart pan - a round baking tray works just as well.
- For a creamier dessert, bake the specialty pie without the top crust.
- For an even more lemony taste, you can prepare the cake with lemon cream. Simply add some grated lemon peel to the cream and it immediately gets a lemony note.
- You can refine the cream as you wish: for example, sprinkle chocolate chips on top or spread Nutella on the base before spreading the cream over the dough.
- You can also bake the cake in mini format if you have suitable molds.
