MANTUAN SBRISOLONA CAKE easy recipe
I had wanted to make the famous Mantuan Sbrisolona Cake for ages. An ancient dessert with humble origins but very much in vogue if you consider the countless recipes for “crumbly” cakes that now populate the web in all their variations, inspired by this one.
Its characteristic is precisely an irregular, sandy texture, as if many crumbs had created a single cake, harmonizing perfectly with the almonds that give it that particular aroma.
The original recipe called for lard, a tradition that over time has been replaced by butter, although I promised myself I would try lard someday. The main ingredients are cornmeal and almonds.
Over the years I was always tempted to try making it, but for some reason it seemed complicated. I even asked a friend whose grandmother is from Mantua for the recipe a hundred times but she stayed tight-lipped, like every traditional grandmother who doesn’t want to reveal her secrets (my grandmother was the same!).
Recently I tasted a version that literally won me over — it was fantastic and, without detracting from the chef of my memories, it had something extra. I can’t reveal where I ate it because now that I managed to get the recipe I might be in serious danger! Jokes aside, I discovered it was not difficult at all to make; it’s simply wonderful and if you “dip” it like I do into pastry cream or an aromatic Vin Santo, your taste buds will give you a standing ovation!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups Fine cornmeal (fioretto)
- 1 1/4 cups Peeled almonds
- 2 Egg yolks (about 1.4 oz)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 7/8 cup Butter (about 7 oz (about 14 tbsp))
- 1 Lemon zest
- 1 bean Vanilla bean
- 1/4 cup Whole almonds (with skin)
- 1 2/3 tbsp Sugar
Preparation
First, put the peeled almonds and the sugar into a food processor and pulse them, not too finely. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl together with the cold butter cut into small pieces, the fine cornmeal, the all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything by hand briefly to avoid warming the dough. Use your fingertips for this operation and keep in mind that the dough should not become compact and smooth like shortcrust pastry but should have more worked and less worked parts; essentially you should obtain a crumbly mixture.
Separately, combine the egg yolks with the grated lemon zest and the seeds from the vanilla bean, mix well and once the yolks are flavored add them to the rest of the mixture, incorporating everything further while taking care to keep the sandy texture. Take a pan 11 in in diameter, butter it lightly and transfer the mixture into the pan without pressing the dough, leaving the crumbs irregular.
Evenly distribute the sugar (1 2/3 tbsp) and the whole almonds (1/4 cup) on the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 50 minutes.
Once baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before serving.
It is already good as it is but becomes exceptional if served with pastry cream (if you want my recipe click here Crema pasticcera ricetta veloce ed infallibile)
Notes
Once baked, store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 1-2 days. Freezing is not recommended. Remember that for a perfect result it is essential that the dough remains granular and not smooth and homogeneous like shortcrust pastry. For this reason it is extremely important to use cold butter and not overwork the dough.
If you want a gluten-free version, replace the all-purpose flour by mixing together about 1 cup of rice flour (approximately 150 g) and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal (about 20 g).
