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Home » Recipe » Torta Sbrisolona – an Italian Almond Cake Recipe

Torta Sbrisolona – an Italian Almond Cake Recipe

Published on September 10, 2017 by Elizabeth Atia 19 Comments
Last Updated on January 28, 2019

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In collaboration with the Garda Trentino S.p.A. Tourism Board.

Torta Sbrisolona - Italian Almond Cake

I watched the landscape change while on the train from Milan to Lake Garda a few months ago, during my first ever visit to the Italian mainland. I found the apartment buildings on the outskirts of Milan hugely fascinating, their tall, earthy hued walls dotted with canopied windows to keep the heat of the sun out of people’s homes.

The landscape changed as the train moved through the countryside, with grape vineyards and cornfields making a regular appearance. It had been a long time since I’ve seen either crop growing, so I watched the fields pass by with interest.

Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy

Fast forward a few days and I found myself on a tour of a corn mill by an incredibly passionate Italian artisan craftsman: Mr. Alberto Pellegrini.

Sections of the four-storey Molino Pellegrini corn mill, located in the village of Verone, just outside Riva del Garda, date back to the second half of the 1700s, and the equipment used to grind the dried corn date from 1860 and 1890! There was a steampunk air to the old wooden building and its vintage machinery which I absolutely loved.

Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy

Although it is no longer used, the remains of the water turbine which used to power the mill are still there.

The entire place vibrated while the machinery was in operation, which is why the place still has wooden floors – a concrete building would crack under the constant movement.

Depending on what is being made, the corn can be run through the entire milling process up to ten times before it is sifted in a separate machine. It’s a very time consuming (and noisy!) operation, but it results in a rather delicious and versatile product that is made with love; something you don’t get in an industrial factory. There’s no waste either, the bran is sent away to make animal feeds.

Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy
Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy

Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy
Molino Pellegrini Lake Garda Italy

Molino Pellegrini produce a range of cornmeal in various grades from fine corn flour to coarse polenta, as well as buckwheat flour (a popular ingredient used in Italian cuisine) and a range of body care products. Soap with coarse polenta added makes for a rather effective exfoliant, I have discovered!

Unfortunately, they don’t export their rather fantastic products, so you’ll have to visit Lake Garda to try them for yourself. Many restaurants in the area serve polenta made with Molino Pellegrini cornmeal, and the Mr. Pellegrini offers tours of his mill, sometimes with a tasting session too. If you’re ever visiting Lake Garda, I’d highly recommend visiting this place, perhaps after you’ve visited the Verone Waterfall.

Molino Pellegrini Farina di Mais Grossa

I wanted to try their product for myself, so I bought a few bags to bring back to the UK with me. Alberto and his wife very kindly gave me a recipe book, from which this recipe for Sbrisolona, a traditional Italian almond cake, came from.

Now, this recipe book is in Italian and I didn’t realise until after I’d set my heart on making it one day, that it requires fine corn meal. I only had coarse to work with, so I ran it through my high-speed blender a few times to break it down further, which I think worked well.

The resulting crunchy, crumbly, buttery bake is like nothing I have ever, ever eaten before. It is incredibly delicious and addictive; a cross between a streusel topping, biscotti, a buttery flapjack and a giant knobbly cookie. You don’t slice it like you usually do with cakes, you break it into bite sized pieces, and in the traditional way, sprinkle it with grappa before you eat it. It is also usually served with a liqueur wine such as Malvasia, Vin Santo or the Passito of Pantelleria.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any grappa at all in Shetland, and I didn’t think to bring any back with me from Italy. All the more reason to visit again!

I started with whole almonds for this recipe too, blending them for five seconds in my blender so that they ended up in various sizes. I think this added to the amazing texture of the cake, which again (and I warn you!) is so, so very addictive! You’ll wonder who ate all the cake…

Torta Sbrisolona - Italian Almond Cake

Sbrisolona is a traditional sweet from Northern Italy, originating from the city of Mantova in the 1600s when it appeared in the court of Gonzaga. It originally began as a poor family’s dessert made from corn flour, lard and hazelnuts, but over the years the ingredients have refined.

The almonds should not be of uniform consistency like I mentioned above. Start with whole almonds and coarsely chop or blend them yourself so that they are uneven.

Try this recipe. You’ll love it; trust me!

Torta Sbrisolona - Italian Almond Cake

Torta Sbrisolona - an Italian Almond Cake Recipe

A traditional Italian almond cake made with cornmeal. The recipe was given to me by the husband and wife team at Molino Pellegrini, a traditional corn miller in Lake Garda, Italy.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

  • 200 grams fine cornmeal
  • 150 grams plain flour
  • 200 grams chopped almonds
  • 200 grams caster sugar
  • 200 grams butter softened
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 lemon zest only
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
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Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan and grease a 9 inch square tin.
  • Mix together the cornmeal, flour, almonds and caster sugar in a bowl.
  • Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  • Add the egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
  • Press loosely into the prepared pan and bake in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Leave in the cake tin to cool completely before breaking into pieces and eating. This recipe will keep for several days in an airtight container.
  • Serve with grappa sprinkled over the broken pieces for an authentic Italian treat.

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Torta Sbrisolona Italian Almond Cake RecipeOTHER ITALIAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Culurgiones – Sardinian Ravioli
Italian-Style Meatballs in a Rich Tomato Sauce
Quick & Easy Chilli Spaghetti for Two
Tuscan White Bean Salad
Italian Minced Beef Plait
Tenderstem Broccoli, Chilli & Garlic Spaghetti
Pappa al Pomodoro with Grana Padano & Prosciutto di San Daniele
Isabella’s Arancini – Risotto Balls
Italian Coffee & Chocolate Chunk Biscuits
Tuscan Tomato Bruschetta
Proscuitto Wrapped Burrata with a Chargrilled Asparagus, Courgette and Grana Padano Salad
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Tuscan Castagnaccio (Chestnut Flour Cake)
Easy Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Spinach Sauce
5:2 Diet Minestrone Soup
Italian Hot Chocolate
Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwich
Grissini Italian Breadsticks

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Molino Pellegrini Website
Garda Trentino S.p.A. Tourism Board

CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT GARDA CON GUSTO!
Garda con Gusto Gourmet Event

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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was a guest of the Garda Trentino Tourism Board during her visit to Italy. A tour of Molino Pellegrini was provided as part of the culinary trip. 

Filed Under: All Manner of Sweet Things, Cake, Recipe

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Comments

  1. Sylvia dos R says

    June 16, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    I had this in Italy recently and it was terrific. I looked at several conversion charts and they vary quite a bit for the flour, sugar and butter. For instance, some convert 150 grams of flour to 3/4 C and other charts convert it to 1 Cup. Can you provide the correct US measurements used in your recipe? Also, can you substitute corn flour for the corn meal? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm

      Good afternoon Sylvia, thanks for your comment and my sincerest apologies with the delay in replying – I’ve been off adventuring! I’ve just measured out 150 grams of the plain flour I use and it fills an American sized 1 cup measure exactly. Also, no, corn flour is a completely different ingredient than cornmeal – you’re wanting something coarse like polenta for this recipe. Happy baking! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kara says

    September 16, 2017 at 7:15 pm

    What an amazing experience to see the corn being ground in a traditional way. Bet this cake tastes amazing

    Reply
  3. Ricky says

    September 14, 2017 at 1:52 am

    This looks really yummy.

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    September 12, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    my dad would LOVE this. I might give it a go for when he returns from holiday this weekend

    Reply
  5. Ashleigh Dougherty says

    September 12, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    Looks delicious! I love being able to see how something so traditional is made 🙂

    Reply
  6. Emily says

    September 12, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    This looks and sounds delicious. LOVE anything almond flavoured x

    Reply
  7. Chloe Ciliberto says

    September 12, 2017 at 9:59 am

    This looks easier to cook than I thought. I really want to recreate this for my Papa. He’s from Italy and the thing he misses the most are the pastries, cakes and desserts. x

    Reply
  8. Nayna Kanabar says

    September 11, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    This cake sounds delicious and I am going to try it since I have a whole jar of cornmeal waiting to be used.

    Reply
  9. Rebecca Smith says

    September 11, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    This looks delicious! I love Italian recipes like this – filling and tasty!

    Reply
  10. Ickle Pickle says

    September 11, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    This looks delicious – and what a fantastic opportunity to visit the mill. Kaz

    Reply
  11. hannah says

    September 11, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    This cake looks awesome, will have to try and make it

    Reply
  12. Rachel says

    September 11, 2017 at 11:20 am

    This is on my to do list. Not oo many ingredients but looks fab!!

    Reply
  13. Ida Skivenes says

    September 11, 2017 at 8:51 am

    Just my kind of cake, I will try it for sure!

    Reply
  14. Camilla Hawkins says

    September 10, 2017 at 11:34 pm

    This almond cake sounds utterly delicious, I would love to try it-) Thanks for including my dish.

    Reply
  15. L dove says

    September 10, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Oh wow this sounds delicious!! I’ve never seen a cake like this before but we are huge fans of almonds and I’m sure it tastes delicious!

    Reply
  16. Carolynne @ Mummy Endeavours says

    September 10, 2017 at 7:52 pm

    So fascinating! And the cake looks absolutely delicious x

    Reply
  17. Ruxandra says

    September 10, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    oh my this looks delicious! the only thing I cook with cornmeal is polenta – never thought of cakes!

    Reply
  18. Jagruti says

    September 10, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    Your Italian almonds cake recipe is so irresistible, just as I was looking for this type of recipe for a cake. Thanks

    Reply

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About Elizabeth

Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home - for now. One eye is always on the horizon. Read More…

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