Grandma's Cake

Grandma’s Cake is a classic dessert in the Tuscan tradition, made with shortcrust pastry, custard, and pine nuts. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 300 g of Type 00 flour
  • 150 g of cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 100 g of sugar
  • 1 whole egg and 1 yolk
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 pinch of salt

• For the custard:

  • 500 ml of whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 50 g of Type 00 flour
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla pod

• For the topping:

  • Pine nuts as needed
  • Powdered sugar as needed

Preparation

1. Shortcrust pastry: Knead the flour with the cold butter until you get a sandy mixture. Add the sugar, egg and yolk, lemon zest, and salt, then work everything quickly to form a smooth dough. Shape into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

2. Custard: Heat the milk with the lemon zest and the split vanilla pod. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until they are light and frothy, then add the sifted flour and mix well. Pour the hot milk, after removing the vanilla and lemon zest, onto the egg cream, stirring well to avoid lumps. Transfer everything to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens. Let it cool, covering it with cling film in contact to avoid the formation of a skin on the surface.

3. Assembly: Roll out two-thirds of the shortcrust pastry and line a 24 cm diameter cake pan, previously buttered and floured, with the pastry, letting the edges come up the sides. Pour in the cooled custard, level it, and sprinkle with pine nuts. Stretch the remaining pastry dough and cover the cake, sealing the edges well.

4. Baking: Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, let it cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Curiosity

Grandma’s Cake got its name because it is a homemade dessert that was often prepared by grandmothers, a symbol of loving care and family tradition. Sometimes an extra layer of pine nuts is also added inside the cream to add extra crunchiness to the cake.