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–+ servings
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4.75 from 4 votes

Torta Della Nonna

This set custard tart goes perfectly with jam
Recipe Category: Baking, Italian
Makes enough for: 1 cake
All Rights Reserved: an original recipe from Lavender and Lime

Ingredients

for the Italian pastry cream

  • 1 l milk
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 150 g fructose
  • 150 g flour
  • 5 mls vanilla purée

for the pastry

  • 300 g flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 150 g fructose
  • 5 mls baking powder
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 120 g butter, cubed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 15 mls water
  • 1 lemon, zest only, finely chopped

for the torta

  • 40 g pine nuts
  • icing sugar for dusting

Method

for the Italian pastry cream

  • Place the milk and lemon zest into a saucepan and place on the stove on a medium temperature
  • Bring up to blood temperature and sieve into a jug
  • Place the egg yolks and fructose into a mixing bowl and whisk until at ribbon stage
  • Slowly whisk in the flour until completely incorporated
  • Temper the eggs with the sieved milk and whisk to combine
  • Add the vanilla essence and return the custard to the sauce pan
  • Stir over a medium temperature with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes
  • Pour back into the mixing bowl and cover with cling film
  • Place into the fridge to cool completely

for the pastry

  • Sieve together the flour, fructose, baking powder and salt into a large bowl
  • Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
  • Add the zest and mix in
  • Whisk together the egg yolks and water and add to the flour
  • Mix in until the dough starts to form
  • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball and flatten into a disc
  • Cover with cling film and place into the fridge for 30 minutes to chill

for the torta

  • Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick and place into a lined flan tin, setting aside the leftover pastry
  • Dock the bottom of the pastry before carefully filling with the Italian pastry cream
  • Roll out the leftover pastry into a 4mm thick disc
  • Cover the top of the pastry cream with the pastry, sealing the edges using a fork
  • Place into the fridge while you preheat the oven
  • Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
  • Top the pastry with pine nuts and bake for 35 minutes
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing from the tin
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving

Notes

I baked mine for 40 minutes which was too long. Had the torta not needed so many egg yolks I would have baked it again for 35 minutes as I have noted here in the recipe