Torta della Nonna – Italian ‘Grandma’s cake’ with lemon custard & pine nuts
A rich and silky lemon custard cake inspired by Italian grandmothers, made in a pressure cooker with a flaky crust and toasted pine nut topping.
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Tart tin
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Pressure cooker
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 250 g All-purpose flour
- 125 g Cold unsalted butter cubed
- 100 g Granulated sugar for dough
- 1 Egg whole
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 Lemon zest zest used in crust and custard
- 500 ml Whole milk
- 4 Egg yolks for custard
- 120 g Granulated sugar for custard
- 40 g Cornstarch
- 30 g Pine nuts for topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Instructions
- Mix flour, sugar, and lemon zest in a bowl. Add cold butter cubes and rub into crumbs.
- Add whole egg and yolk, mix into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- To make the custard, warm milk with zest and vanilla until steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch separately.
- Temper the egg mixture by whisking in hot milk gradually. Return all to pot and stir until thickened. Cool completely.
- Roll out two-thirds of dough and press into tart tin. Add cooled custard.
- Roll remaining dough and place as lid. Pinch edges to seal and prick top with fork.
- Sprinkle pine nuts on top evenly.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Chill leftovers tightly wrapped in the fridge up to 3 days. Freeze individual slices for longer storage. Reheat gently before serving.