Not as famous as the Tiramisù, nonetheless a very popular cake both in Italy and abroad. I am talking about the Torta della Nonna, or Grandma’s Cake. This delicious recipe is one of the many that originated in the splendid Tuscany, and after some variations, it became a classic pillar of Italian pastry tradition.
Unlike other recipes, the Torta della Nonna’s origins are easy to trace. The inventor was the chef Guido Samorini, who died a few years ago. He owned a restaurant in Florence’s popular neighborhood of San Lorenzo. The restaurant, called San Lorenzo, is no longer active, but it was there that his most affectionate customers would lament the lack of a variety of cakes as dessert. As a result, Samorini invented the Torta della Nonna, which was very successful. His recipe has been imitated in many ways, some successfully, some less so. The original recipe is e secret held only by an apprentice of the inventor.
The following recipe is said to be very close to the original. In any case it is as close as it gets, and is delicious. Try it!
Ingredients: 150 grams of flour, 60 grams of sugar, 80 grams of butter, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 egg, 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
For the cream: 2 eggs, 40 grams of sugar, 250 ml of whole milk, 20 grams of flour, 1 orange, 50 grams of pine nuts. 20 grams of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour for the backing pan.
Preparation:
Prepare the dough. Soften the butter at room temperature. Thoroughly wash and grate the lemon peel (yellow part only). Sift the flour with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and baking powder, form a heap, put the butter divided into pieces in the center and add the sugar, egg yolk and lemon zest. Mix all the ingredients quickly with your fingers, without working the dough too long.
Prepare the cream. Wash the orange, dry and grate only the orange part of the peel. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the orange zest and bring to boil. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl, stir thoroughly mixing well. Slowly add the sifted flour with the remaining vanilla. Very slowly, and using a mash strainer, pour the hot milk in while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, set it on medium heat, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and continue cooking for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Take the dough and using a rolling pin flatten it to a thickness of 4 mm. Butter and dust with flower a cake tin, then line it with the dough, pricking it with a fork. Then evenly distribute the cream over it and sprinkle with pine nuts.
Set the pan in an oven heated at 180 Celsius and bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. Unmold the cake onto a serving plate and let cool. Dust it with vanilla sugar and serve.
This is one of my favorite Italian desserts. Thanks for sharing its history and the recipe!