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A hand holds a slice of torta della nonna over a whole cake topped with strawberry slices. Blue and white patterned tiles are in the background.
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5 from 3 votes

Torta della Nonna

Try this torta della nonna, made with delicate, golden-brown shortcrust pastry and luscious, lemony Italian pastry cream, and a pine nut topping.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Mixing Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cake, pie, Tart
Servings: 10
Author: Bella Bucchiotti

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

For the Pastry Cream:

Toppings:

  • ¼ Cup pine nuts
  • water for soaking the pine nuts and brushing the top of the tart
  • ¼ Cup powdered sugar or as needed to top the tart
  • whipped cream optional

Instructions

Make the Crust:

  • Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and lemon zest to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
  • Add the cold butter and pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs.
  • Add the eggs and pulse for another minute. The dough should start to form now; if it is still crumbly, pulse a few more times.
  • Turn out the dough mixture onto a rolling mat. Using your hands, knead the dough so it comes together into a ball.
  • Continue kneading until completely smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Note: A silicone mat can help knead and press the pastry dough together to form a ball.
  • Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the Pastry Cream:

  • While the pastry dough chills, make the pastry cream.
  • Add the egg yolk and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Add the cornstarch to the egg mixture and whisk together.
  • Heat the milk over medium heat in a medium saucepan for 4 to 5 minutes until it starts to steam. Remove from the heat, let it sit for 1 minute, and add the vanilla.
  • Slowly pour a ladle or 2 of the warmed milk into the egg mixture while constantly whisking the egg mixture, so there are no lumps (and the eggs don’t cook).
  • Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining warmed milk, and on low heat. Continue stirring or whisking every 30 seconds to 1 minute until it is thick and creamy, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Once thickened, pour it into a shallow bowl and let it come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to touch the top of the cream (this prevents skin from forming) and place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to finish cooling. Pro tip: Pouring the mixture into a shallow pan or bowl will allow it to cool quickly.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the pastry dough and the pastry cream from the refrigerator. Re-whisk the chilled cream until completely smooth.
  • Put pine nuts in a bowl and cover with water to soak.
  • Grease a 10-inch tart pan with nonstick spray or vegetable shortening.
  • Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece being two-thirds of the dough. Note: The dough will weigh approximately 24 ounces. One piece should be around 8 ounces, and the second piece for the bottom crust should be around 16 ounces.
  • Place the larger dough piece on a floured surface (rolling mat or parchment paper), dust with additional flour and knead it smooth, about 1 minute. Once the dough is workable, roll it out so it is ¼-inch thick and large enough to fit the tart pan, at least 12 to 14 inches around.
  • Place the dough into the tart pan, gently lift and press the bottom crust into the pan. Gently press the crust into the bottom/sides of the tart pan and then cut off any excess dough. Pro tip: Roll the dough onto the rolling pin to move it carefully on to the greased tart pan.

Assemble the Pie:

  • Pour the pastry cream into the tart pan and spread it evenly over the dough with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the excess dough cut from the bottom crust to the second piece of dough and lightly flour to knead together. Roll out this remaining dough and gently lay it on top of the filled tart. Lift and press the edges to seal to the bottom crust and cut away any excess, discarding leftover dough.
  • Brush the top of the tart with water and, using a small knife, poke small holes so steam can escape.
  • Drain the pine nuts well and spread on top of the tart.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The tart might puff up a bit while cooking and if not sealed before baking, the top crust may look as if it is “floating” on top. If this happens, don’t worry! This tart will still taste amazing and will settle back down as it cools.
  • Cool completely, refrigerate for 2 hours minimum (overnight for 8+ hours is recommended).
  • When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar or add homemade whipped cream.

Notes

Chill your ingredients: For a flakier crust, use cold butter and eggs in the dough.
Don’t overwork the dough: Handle it as little as possible to keep it tender.
Use warm not hot milk: If the milk is too hot, it will scramble the eggs in the custard cream.
Prevent lumps in pastry cream: Whisk constantly when adding the warm milk to the egg mixture to avoid lumps.
Seal the crust well: Press the top and bottom crusts together firmly to prevent the filling from leaking during baking.
Use a rolling pin transfer: Roll the dough around your rolling pin to lift and transfer it easily to the tart pan without tearing.
Room temperature serving: Let the tart come to room temperature before serving for the yummiest texture and flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 703IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 2mg

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