Torta Sbrisolona - an Italian Almond Cake Recipe
A traditional Italian almond cake made with cornmeal. The recipe was given to me by the husband and wife team at Molino Pellegrini, a traditional corn miller in Lake Garda, Italy.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams fine cornmeal
- 150 grams plain flour
- 200 grams chopped almonds
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 200 grams butter softened
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 1 lemon zest only
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan and grease a 9 inch square tin.
- Mix together the cornmeal, flour, almonds and caster sugar in a bowl.
- Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Press loosely into the prepared pan and bake in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
- Leave in the cake tin to cool completely before breaking into pieces and eating. This recipe will keep for several days in an airtight container.
- Serve with grappa sprinkled over the broken pieces for an authentic Italian treat.