This traditional tart/cake, which is filled with custard, is a Tuscan favourite known as Torta della Nonna. As with most Italian classics, everyone’s nonna (or grandma) has their own secret recipe… but here’s ours!
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Yields:
8
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
324
Ingredients
For the pastry
200g
plain flour, plus extra to dust
⅔tsp baking powder
75g
unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
75g
caster sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1tsp vanilla extract
1
medium egg
For the filling
350ml
semi-skimmed milk
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
2
medium eggs
100g
caster sugar
1tsp.
vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste, if you have it)
25g
plain flour
For the topping
25g
pinenuts
Icing sugar, to dust
Directions
Step 1
Start by making the pastry: put all the pastry ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. If you don't have a processor, mix together the flour and baking powder, then rub in the butter with your fingers. Next, stir in the sugar and zest, then mix in the vanilla and whole egg with a blunt-ended kitchen knife and bring the pastry together. Wrap and chill for 30min.
Step 2
Next, make the filling. Heat the milk and lemon zest until nearly boiling (there should be bubbles around the inside edge of the pan). Meanwhile, put the two eggs, caster sugar, vanilla extract or paste and flour into a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk together to combine. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture, then scrape contents back into the empty pan. Return pan to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick (it will need to boil before it thickens). Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use to line a deep, 20.5cm (8in) round loose-bottomed sandwich tin. Whisk the filling to break it up (and beat out any lumps that have formed on cooling), then spoon into the pastry base and spread to level. Trim the lining pastry (if necessary) so it comes about 2cm (¾in) above the filling, then gently fold the pastry on to the filling. Next, roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly-floured surface and cut out a 20.5cm (8in) round. Lay on top of the filling and press edges lightly to seal. Sprinkle over the pinenuts and press them down gently.
Step 4
Bake for 50min until nicely golden. Leave to cool for 10min in tin, then carefully remove outside ring and leave tart to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 5
To serve, liberally dust the cake with icing sugar and serve in slices.
Traditionally pine nuts are sprinkled over this cake, but you can used almond flakes or roughly chopped hazelnuts instead, if you like.
Serve with berries, or (if you're feeling extra indulgent) some pouring cream.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
