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Grandfather's Cake

17/11/2023

Grandmother’s Cake is a classic Tuscan dessert, beloved throughout Italy. It is a pie made with a base of shortcrust pastry, filled with custard and pine nuts, and often covered with another layer of shortcrust pastry, more pine nuts, and powdered sugar.

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 300 g of 00 flour
  • 150 g of sugar
  • 150 g of cold butter
  • 1 whole egg + 1 yolk
  • The grated zest of one lemon
  • A pinch of salt

For the custard:

  • 500 ml of milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 50 g of 00 flour or cornstarch
  • The zest of 1 lemon
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla bean or vanilla essence

For the garnish:

  • 30 g of pine nuts
  • Powdered sugar (to taste)

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry: mix the flour with the sugar and the pinch of salt, then add the cold butter cut into pieces. Work the mixture until it has a sandy appearance.
  2. Add the egg and yolk and the grated zest of the lemon, then work the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  3. For the custard, bring the milk to a boil with the lemon zest and vanilla. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture, then add the sifted flour or starch, stirring well to avoid lumps.
  4. Remove the lemon zest and the vanilla bean (if using) from the milk and slowly pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture, continuing to stir.
  5. Return everything to the heat and, stirring continuously, cook until the cream thickens. Once ready, cover it with film touching the cream and let it cool.
  6. Roll out about two-thirds of the shortcrust pastry and line a previously buttered and floured cake tin, creating a high edge.
  7. Pour the cooled custard over the pastry base and sprinkle with pine nuts.
  8. Roll out the remaining shortcrust pastry, creating a disc that will be the lid of the cake. Seal the edges well.
  9. Sprinkle the surface of the cake with more pine nuts and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
  10. Once cooked, let the grandmother’s cake cool before dusting it with powdered sugar.

Curiosity

Although its name suggests a long tradition, Grandmother’s Cake was created in the 1950s by pastry chef Guido Samorini from Florence. The dessert quickly spread due to its simple but satisfying taste and easy preparation.

Grandfather's Cake