The BENEVENTANA TART, also known as the Portuguese cake, is a little-known dessert typical of the city of Benevento. With a crisp outer crust and a soft, creamy filling, it is a delicate and very indulgent dessert that wins you over at the first bite. The dessert consists of a classic lemon-flavored shortcrust pastry, ladyfingers and a fragrant liquid cream made from milk and eggs.
Making it is really child’s play; the only difficulty may be arranging the ladyfingers in a herringbone pattern, but by following the step-by-step instructions I provide, it will be less complicated than it might seem.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Low cost
- Rest time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6-8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 530.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.94 (g) of which sugars 40.21 (g)
- Proteins 11.02 (g)
- Fat 24.03 (g) of which saturated 14.36 (g)of which unsaturated 9.36 (g)
- Fibers 0.91 (g)
- Sodium 107.98 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 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
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2/3 cup butter
- lemon zest
- 2 egg yolks (medium)
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Strega liqueur
- lemon zest
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 12 savoiardi (ladyfingers)
FOR THE BENEVENTANA TART YOU WILL NEED
- 1 Baking pan 9.5 in
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Hand whisk
PREPARATION BENEVENTANA TART
In a bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer place the flour, the powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Mix the dry ingredients, make a well in the center and add the butter in pieces. Start mixing until you obtain a sandy texture.
Add the yolks and incorporate them quickly until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough.
Wrap it in cling film and transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the milk without bringing it to a boil, transfer it to a bowl, add the sugar, the liqueur, the lemon zest and stir. Let it cool slightly, add the eggs and incorporate them well.
Set aside.
Take the shortcrust pastry out of the refrigerator and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Butter a pan about 9.5 in in diameter and line it with the pastry disk. Remove the excess on the edges and prick the base with a fork.
Arrange the ladyfingers in a herringbone pattern, using the scraps to cover the base as much as possible.
Pour in the cream and let it rest for at least 10 minutes so that the ladyfingers absorb as much liquid as possible.
Bake the beneventana tart in a preheated static oven at 338°F and cook it for about 45 minutes. Once cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
Then transfer it to the refrigerator for a few hours so that it firms up well and the flavors meld perfectly.
STORAGE
You can store the BENEVENTANA TART well covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
