Sbrisolona

Sbrisolona is a traditional Mantuan dessert, famous for its crumbly and crunchy texture. Here is the recipe to prepare this delicious almond cake.

Ingredients

• 300 g fioretto corn flour
• 200 g 00 flour
• 300 g sugar
• 300 g unpeeled almonds
• 200 g cold butter
• 1 egg
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• A pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
2. Coarsely chop the almonds, leaving some whole for the final decoration.
3. In a large bowl, mix the corn flour, 00 flour, sugar, and chopped almonds.
4. Add the grated lemon zest and the pinch of salt.
5. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to the dry ingredients mix. Work the mixture with your hands to obtain a sandy consistency.
6. Add the egg and continue working the dough until it is well combined.
7. Pour the mixture into a baking pan (traditionally round and low) without pressing it too much. The Sbrisolona should have a “crumbly” appearance, from which the name derives.
8. Decorate the surface with the whole almonds set aside.
9. Bake and cook for about 40 minutes or until it has reached a golden color.
10. Let the Sbrisolona cool before dusting it with powdered sugar, if desired.

Trivia

The name “Sbrisolona” derives from the dialect word “brisa”, which means crumb, indicating the crumbly characteristic of the cake. It is said that the secret to a perfect Sbrisolona is in not working the dough too much and not pressing it in the pan, to maintain that typical sandy appearance.

Are you ready to delight yourself and your guests with this classic of Mantuan pastry!