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Un trozo de pastel cubierto de migas con un tenedor sobre un plato blanco. El pastel se adorna con azúcar en polvo y piñones, con porciones de pastel adicionales al fondo.
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Torta della Nonna  Italian Grandmother's Cake Recipe

It's time to bake another classic Italian dessert, originally from the Tuscan area called Torta della Nonna, or grandma's cake in Italian version. This jewel of Italian pastry is perfect for any occasion and combines a shortcrust pastry base (or Italian butter pasta frolla), with a luscioous Italian pastry cream filling, topped with crunchy pine nuts and powdered sugar. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Cake, frolla, pine nuts
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 389kcal
Author Laura Fernández
Cost 10$

Equipment

  • Food processor or Kitchen Aid
  • Rolling Pin
  • Tart pan 9-11 inches
  • Saucepan
  • Oven
  • Fridge

Ingredients

Pastry dough

  • 2 cups All purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Unsalted butter Cut into cubes
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted butter Cut into cubes
  • 1/2+1/3 cups Powdered sugar
  • 1 unit Egg
  • 1 unit Egg yolk
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • Lemon zest
  • 1 pinch Salt

Custard filling

  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 5 unit Egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup White sugar
  • 1/4 cup Cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp Cornstarch
  • Lemon peel
  • 1 stick Cinnamon
  • 1 pod Vanilla Optional

Decoration

  • Pine nuts
  • Icing sugar

Instructions

Prepare the pastry dough

  • In a food processor, Thermomix or KitchenAid, mix the cubed cold butter with the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt and baking powder) until a sandy texture is obtained (do not beat too much).
  • Then add the egg and the egg yolk to the flour mixture and mix again for a few seconds.
  • Pour the mixture of our pasta frolla or shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured work surface and make a ball with the dough until we get a homogeneous dough with the help of our hands because when we stop beating the shortcrust pastry will have a slightly sandy texture.
  • Divide the dough in two, for the base of our della nonna cake and for the topping, stretch slightly with the help of a rolling pin both halves of the shortcrust pastry, cover with plastic wrap separately and chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator. It is not necessary to roll out the dough with a rolling pin before chilling, but it will make it easier to work with the base and covering of the cake.

Prepare the custard filling or crema pasticcera

  • In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with half of the sugar, t the cinnamon stick and lemon peel (or vanilla bean or vanilla extract if you prefer) until it begins to boil and remove from heat.
  • In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with the second half of the sugar and the cornstarch.
  • Pour a small amount of the warm milk over the egg yolk mixture and whisk again (the mixture will be lukewarm at this point).
  • Then stir the mixture together with the milk in the saucepan while whisking over medium heat until it has thickened (if you have a cooking thermometer you can check the temperature and remove the mixture from the heat before it reaches 85 degrees Celsius).
  • Remove the custard from the heat and let it cool in a large bowl with cling film in contact with the cream to protect the surface.

Assemble our Torta della Nonna

  • We prepare our tart pan or pie pan of approximately 9-11 inches in diameter with baking paper and / or release spray.
  • Place half of the shortcrust pastry that we have chilled in the refrigerator with the help of a rolling pin and line half the surface of a removable curly tart pan. It will not be a problem if it is unmoldable because the creamy filling (crema pasticciera) will be thick when cooling and will not escape from the springform pan.
  • Pour the pastry cream filling that we have allowed to cool over the shortcrust pastry.
  • Place the second half of dough on the surface of the custard to cover the cake sealing the edges with the help of a fork or with your fingers.
  • Place the raw  pine nuts on top crust to decorate  our torta surface.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the surface of the dough has a nice golden brown.
  • Let our cake cool before unmolding to prevent the shortcrust pastry from breaking, there is no strict resting time, but at least 2 hours.
  • Sprinkle some icing sugar on top of the tart and enjoy your delicious cake!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 687IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg