Vincenzo Girasoli
Sbrisolona of Mantua: cake of special occasions
The cake for special occasions; the sbrisolona was this a time. The inhabitants of Mantua, where the cake was invented, know well it. Even better the many Italians knows about this cake as excellent accompaniment with coffee at breakfast or with tea as a snack.
It is the symbol of the local confectionery, sweet in several variations, as its names that change depending on the location of Lombardy. Some call it “sbrisolina”, some “sbrisulada”. The reason for this name is clear to everyone and is due to its friability and to the many crumbs that are formed at the moment when it is cut.
Of country tradition, it seems to be prepared only for special occasions, such as weddings or births. Subsequently, with the arrival of Gonzaga (http://www.igonzaga.it), this cake was enriched with new ingredients, such as spices, almonds and sugar, which extolled the taste and appearance.
Its preparation is simple, as the ingredients to use.
200g of flour
200g of yellow maize flour
200g blanched almonds
150g of sugar
100g of butter
100g of lard
2 yolks
Vanilla bean
1 lemon
icing sugar
Salt
Mix the flour and add the ground almonds, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, egg yolks, a pinch of salt and butter for the past with lard. Mix the ingredients until the dough is not uniform and with small lumps. Pour into a buttered. Bake in a moderate oven and remove when the surface is golden. Serve the cake, breaking it without the use of the knife, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
As the notebooks of recipes tell us, jealously guarded by lombard grandmothers, this is also the cake “of three cups’, for the exact amount of ingredients, corn flour, white flour and sugar, measured in cups.
Sbrisolona of Mantua is a true masterpiece of the Italian tradition that has carved out a place of honor among the most important cookbooks but also a valid partner for breakfast and snacks for children and adults.
See you to the next recipe,
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