SBRISOLONA
The SBRISOLONA is a typical cake from the city of Mantua, now known and appreciated throughout the rest of Italy.
A cake that, as its name suggests, seems crumbly because the texture of its dough is neither compact nor regular, made like many little bumps embellished with almonds.
Like all traditional recipes, the Recipe of the Mantuan Sbrisolona Cake has numerous variations, and it can almost be said that every family has its own.
The one we will make today is the Mantuan Sbrisolona Cake as made by the grandmother of a dear friend of mine, originally from the city of Mantua. A very simple recipe accessible to everyone in which you will feel how the scent of shortcrust pastry and almonds will be the protagonists.
To prepare the Mantuan Sbrisolona according to the original recipe I received, you must first mix the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, fine cornmeal, and ground almonds). Then add sugar and vanilla extract, followed by the other ingredients (egg yolk, butter, lemon zest).
You can easily mix the dough with your hands and then transfer it directly into the baking pan without compacting it. Sprinkle the surface with almonds and, after just 30 minutes, you will bake a perfect Mantuan Crumbled Cake to enjoy as a snack, for breakfast, or even as a dessert.
A simple cake, with few ingredients, which also has the advantage of being able to be prepared in advance because it keeps well at room temperature.
If you love desserts based on shortcrust pastry, check out
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THE SBRISOLONA
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet vanilla extract
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/3 cup almonds (unpeeled)
Tools
- Bowl
- Springform Pan
- Parchment paper
HOW TO MAKE THE TRADITIONAL MANTUAN SRISOLONA
ALMOND FLOUR: If you don’t have almond flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of blanched almonds and grind them in a mixer. Grind them in pulses to avoid forming an oily paste. If necessary, add a portion of the sugar already in the recipe, taking it from the total amount.
In a bowl, pour both flours (all-purpose flour and cornmeal), mix with a spoon, then also add the almond flour. Add sugar and vanilla extract and mix all the powders with a spoon.
Add to the bowl with the dry ingredients the egg yolk, diced butter, and the grated zest of a lemon, and start kneading with your fingertips. You should get a homogeneous but crumbly dough.
Transfer the mixture into a 9.5-inch diameter baking pan (preferably springform) lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough evenly but without compacting it, it should have a rustic appearance like large crumbs. Add the whole unpeeled almonds on top. Bake in a preheated convection oven for about 30 minutes. It should be golden, but the degree of browning depends on your personal taste: some prefer it lighter, some darker. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
STORAGE
The advantage of the Mantuan Crumbled Cake is that you can prepare it in advance and it keeps outside the fridge in a cool, dry place for up to a week. However, I recommend storing it in an airtight container or a cookie tin to preserve its fragrance and crispness.
NOTES AND TIPS
ALMOND FLOUR: If you don’t have almond flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of blanched almonds and grind them in a mixer. Grind them in pulses to avoid forming an oily paste. If necessary, add a portion of the sugar already in the recipe, taking it from the total amount.
FLAVORS: You can vary the flavors in the recipe by perhaps replacing the lemon zest with orange zest or instead of vanilla extract using almond flavor or almond liqueur or Rum.
ALMONDS WITH SKIN: The original Mantuan Sbrisolona recipe calls for the surface to be sprinkled with skin-on almonds before baking, but if you don’t have them, you can easily replace them with blanched almonds; it’s just an aesthetic choice, not a taste preference.
HOW TO SERVE THE MANTUAN SBRISOLONA CAKE
Traditionally, the Sbrisolona is broken with hands and not cut. It’s shared in “broken” pieces, more or less large, and served on a serving dish. You can enjoy it for breakfast dipped in milk, tea, or cappuccino, or as an after-dinner dessert accompanied by CLASSIC PASTRY CREAM, CHANTILLY CREAM, or simply with a liqueur like LIMONCELLO (HERE you find the recipe)
VARIATIONS OF MANTUAN CRUMB CAKE
With the same dough of the Mantuan Sbrisolona, you can create different versions of Crumbled Cake. For example, pouring only half of the dough into the pan, making a layer of hazelnut cream, and then covering with the other half of the dough for a delicious Crumbled Cake with Nutella. Alternatively, cook diced apples in a pan for a few minutes with a tablespoon of sugar and a little lemon juice to soften them, then pour them into the pan over the ½ dough layer and cover with the rest: you will have thus created the Apple Crumbled Cake.
HISTORY OF MANTUAN SBRISOLONA
The sbrisolona is a simple dessert from the rural tradition of the Mantua countryside. Farmers usually prepared and consumed it on festive evenings to recover the energy spent after hard days of work in the fields. The ancient original recipe for the Sbrisolona called for the use of cornmeal and hazelnuts, combined with lard, which allowed for a poor but very nutritious preparation. Over time, the recipe has been modified: almonds have replaced hazelnuts, and butter has replaced lard.
CURIOSITIES RELATED TO THE MANTUAN SBRISOLONA CAKE
The birth of the Mantuan Sbrisolona is linked to a fascinating story that few know. Apparently, Princess Eleonora of Gonzaga, during her stay in the marvelous Palladian villas that dot the northeast countryside, was struck by a dessert different from the high pastry cakes that the nobles of the 1600s were used to consuming. It was a cake made with few and simple ingredients that the princess found irresistible: this dessert was precisely the Sbrisolona.
The future empress was so impressed by the goodness of this dessert that she decreed that the sbrisolona be prepared for her every time she returned to visit her relatives in Mantua.
The original recipe was thus modified to adapt to the needs of a princely court: lard was replaced with the more refined butter, and hazelnuts with almonds, and a portion of white flour was added to the dough, thus giving life to the sbrisolona recipe that we still know today.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Why is it called Sbrisolona? Where does the name Sbrisolona come from?
The Sbrisolona Cake owes its name to the word “brìsa,” which in Mantuan dialect literally means crumb. Also called sbrisulòna, sbrisolìna, or rosegotta in Veneto, it is characterized by an extraordinary friability that causes the dough to crumble in your hands, forming very irregularly sized crumbs.
What are the origins of the Mantuan Sbrisolona Cake?
The ancient recipe called for the use of cornmeal and hazelnuts, combined with lard, typical ingredients of the rural diet that allowed for a poor but very nutritious preparation, ideal for providing enough energy even in the morning to carry out work in the fields.
Besides being particularly filling, this cake could be stored for a very long time, and its considerable spread is mainly due to this aspect.
