La torta della nonna 😋❤️ 

La Torta della nonna is a timeless, simple, genuine classic dessert with unparalleled goodness! A short crust pastry cake filled with custard, covered with pine nuts and sprinkled with icing sugar! I leave you to imagine the contrast of the double consistency: crumbly outside like a tart and tenderly creamy inside, with a fresh and delicate taste of vanilla: pure ecstasy with every bite!

It is a dessert of the Tuscan tradition, of Arezzo Florentine origins, among the most beloved grandmother's cakes in Italy and widespread in two delicious variants: the first, provides that pine nuts are added directly on the layer of cream. The second, the one I propose today, is the original grandmother's cake, the one in which the cream is covered with an additional layer of short crust pastry, to preserve an even more creamy and silky filling, being enclosed between two crumbly layers! 

Simple to prepare, you will not have any difficulty thanks to the two infallible bases: the soft short crust pastry, made and remade by anyone on the web for its perfect consistency that does not break when it is spread and even in cooking; even if they are tall and rich fillings! And the silky custard, ready in 5 minutes without turning on the fire hours and for this very delicate on the palate, without that annoying aftertaste of flour and cooked eggs! Also perfect for baking. Here comes the perfect grandmother's cake! Tall, with a creamy heart but at the same time compact! Which preserves the shape even when cutting the slice! Wrapped in the pastry that melts at the soft bite and does not make crumbs! I tell you try it and it will become one of the most loved grandmother's cakes by the whole family.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry:

330 gr of flour + 1 teaspoon for the pastry board

165 gr of soft butter at room temperature

1 whole egg (medium size)

2 egg yolks (small size)

130 gr sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

grated peel of 1 thick-skinned lemon 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 pinch of salt

Custard:

400 gr of fresh whole milk

100 gr of fresh liquid cream 

6 fresh medium egg yolks

150 gr of sugar

30 gr of flour 

20 g potato starch

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

To complete:

80 gr pine nuts

2 tablespoons icing sugar

PROCEDURE

First of all prepare the soft pastry by whipping butter, sugar and aromas until the mixture is frothy and clear, gradually add the eggs one at a time and finally flour and sifted yeast! in the article: Shortcrust pastry you will find the whole step by step procedure and useful tips! While it cools in the fridge, prepare the creamy filling following the recipe step by step ready in a few minutes that you find in the article: Custard. Then immediately transfer the cream to a baking dish, cover with a film in contact and store in the fridge for a few minutes, the time that cools. Grease the pan and flour it perfectly. Now I'll reveal a trick that you can use whenever you do not have a mold with removable bottom, but you want to unmold the cake to perfection without ruining the surface! Then cut strips of baking paper, place them in a cross in the mold leaving out 4 – 5 cm of edge: Finally roll out the now fresh pastry to a thickness of 4 mm, lay it in the pan trying to place it well over the strips of baking paper. Attach the edges well to the mold, cut off the excess edges with a rolling pin and prick with a fork: Finally set aside for a moment or in the fridge, if the cream is still hot. When the cream is fresh, take it out of the fridge, turn it with a hand whisk to make it creamy again. Pour the cream into the pastry shell: With the rest of the pastry, make another 4 mm disc and place it on top of the cake. Then brush with a very light drop of water and add the pine nuts on the surface: Store your grandmother's cake in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C static mode. Bake the cake in the medium-low part of the oven for the first 15 minutes at 180 °C then lower to 160 °C and cook slowly for another 45 minutes. The cake is ready when it browns on the surface, swells slightly (then lowers again) and the pine nuts are toasted but not roasted! Finally remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 8 hours! I recommend not to cut immediately that the cream needs to settle together with the pastry. Only when it is very cold, turn it out with the help of pieces of baking paper, lifting it directly from the mold: Then sprinkle with icing sugar the grandmother's cake. Here is your delicious Grandma's Cake! From the crumbly shell and creamy heart of custard!

Storing tip

At room temperature for 3 – 5 days. If you want you can also put it in the fridge, but I advise you to avoid, because in the refrigerator the cooked cream loses creaminess.