🍰 Torta della Nonna
Torta della Nonna is a classic Italian dessert that translates to “Grandmother’s Cake.” It’s a simple but elegant tart made with sweet pastry, creamy custard filling, and pine nuts on top, often finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
🧾 What It Is Made Of
🥧 Pastry base (shortcrust)
- Flour
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon zest (optional for aroma)
🍮 Custard filling
- Milk
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Cornstarch or flour
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean
🌰 Topping
- Pine nuts
- Powdered sugar
👨🍳 How It’s Made (Simple Steps)
1. Make the pastry dough
- Mix flour, butter, sugar, and eggs
- Knead lightly and chill in the fridge
2. Prepare custard
- Heat milk with vanilla
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch
- Slowly combine and cook until thick and creamy
- Let it cool
3. Assemble
- Roll out dough and line a tart pan
- Add custard filling
- Cover with another thin layer of dough (or leave open-faced in some versions)
- Sprinkle pine nuts on top
4. Bake
- Bake at 170–180°C for about 35–45 minutes
- Until golden and set
5. Finish
- Cool completely
- Dust with powdered sugar
🍽️ Taste & Texture
- Buttery, crumbly crust
- Smooth vanilla custard
- Light crunch from pine nuts
- Not overly sweet—very balanced
🧠 Tip
Let it rest for a few hours (or overnight). The flavor becomes richer and the custard sets perfectly.
If you want, I can show you a quick version without pine nuts, a no-oven stovetop version, or a chocolate twist version.
