The Mantovana cake is a dessert with a simple taste, very easy to make. The base is a sponge cake enriched on the surface with toasted almonds and pine nuts covered with powdered sugar. Great for breakfast, it is spectacular paired with zabaglione cream, in which case it turns into an extremely pleasant and delicious after-dinner dessert.
The recipe I am proposing is part of the Tuscan tradition and can be found in Pellegrino Artusi’s book, although its origin is doubtful and has given rise to many legends. It seems that the recipe comes from the nuns of a Mantuan convent who gave it to Artusi, and he, upon arriving in Prato, shared it with a pastry chef friend who started producing it and made it famous.
The Mantovana cake is also part of my childhood. It was a snack that my grandmother and mother often made due to its ease of execution, it was very rich in pine nuts, and it was one of my favorite cakes.
Here are some other soft cakes to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 354.98 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.96 (g) of which sugars 21.61 (g)
- Proteins 5.55 (g)
- Fat 21.87 (g) of which saturated 10.92 (g)of which unsaturated 8.63 (g)
- Fibers 0.92 (g)
- Sodium 13.64 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5.3 oz butter
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 1 oz blanched almonds
- 1 egg (medium whole)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Cake pan 9 inches in diameter, I used disposable ones
- 1 Spatula
Method
Cut the butter into cubes, place it in a small bowl and let it melt in the microwave or bain-marie. Set aside; it needs to cool.
Cut the almonds into slivers and add them to the pine nuts.
In a large bowl, pour the whole egg, the 4 egg yolks, and the sugar, whisk everything with the electric whisk until you obtain a soft and light mixture.
Incorporate the flour gradually, alternating with the melted butter, mix the mixture with a spatula from bottom to top to avoid deflating it. Add the lemon zest and, if you like, the vanilla.
Transfer the mixture into the buttered and floured pan. Spread the almonds and pine nuts on the surface.
Bake the cake in a preheated static oven at 340°F for about 30/35 minutes.
Do the toothpick test to check the cooking, if necessary, extend it for a few more minutes.
If the cake becomes too dark on the surface, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
The Mantovana cake is ready; let it cool slightly before removing it from the mold, then let it cool completely and dust with plenty of powdered sugar.
Advice
Storage
The Mantovana cake can be stored at room temperature, under a glass dome for 3/4 days.
***************************
For advice on making recipes, contact me on FACEBOOK and, if you like, follow me on INSTAGRAM
Send me your photos; I will gladly publish them on my social networks.
