Torta Sbrisolona
Mantua’s crumbly almond and cornmeal cake: you never slice it, you break it into rough, buttery shards.
Ingredients
- 150 g whole almonds, skin on, plus a handful to decorate
- 150 g plain flour
- 150 g fine cornmeal
- 150 g Sugar
- 150 g Butter, soft, plus extra for the tin
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 lemon, finely grated zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and butter a 26–28 cm tart or cake tin.
- Chop the almonds roughly, leaving some big pieces. Mix them with the flour, cornmeal, sugar, zest and salt.
- Rub in the butter with your fingertips, then add the yolk and vanilla and toss with a fork until the mixture forms uneven crumbs and clumps. Don’t knead it.
- Scatter the crumbs loosely into the tin without pressing down, and dot with the extra almonds.
- Bake for 40–45 min, until golden and crisp. Cool completely in the tin, then break it into pieces with your hands.
Tips
- It keeps for a week in an airtight tin.
- In Mantua it is served with a glass of grappa or dessert wine, or crumbled over zabaglione.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Torta Sbrisolona in Nouns Cooking