Sbrisolona Recipe (Crunchy Italian Almond Cake)
You guys! I'm so excited to share this sbrisolona recipe with you. It's honestly the most delicious cookie/tart you've never heard of! I discovered this traditional almond cake from northern Italy a few years ago and couldn't believe it wasn't more popular here. The name literally means "crumbs" in Italian, which makes perfect sense once you see (and taste) it. Unlike most desserts, you don't slice this one – after baking and cooling, you just break it into rustic pieces. It's so fun and perfect for sharing!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almonds
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter or plant butter, chilled and cubed + additional for greasing pan
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose or GF flour blend divided
- 3/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar or maple sugar you can probably use a low-glycemic dry sweetener like Lakanto
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- zest of one orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the almonds on a pie plate and bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Cool completely.
- Lightly grease a 9-10-inch pie plate or cake pan or the equivalent volume of another baking dish. I used a 7 x 11-inch baking pan.
- Add 1 cup of the toasted almonds and ¼ cup of the flour to a food processor and pulse until they are the size of small peas. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl.
- Pulse the rest of the almonds in the food processor into pieces larger than peas (or just chop by hand) and transfer to the almond flour mixture in the bowl.
- Add the rest (1 cup) of the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt to the large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the cubed butter to the mixture and with your hands rub the butter pieces and flour mixture between your fingers until you achieve a coarse texture. Some butter pieces can be larger than others, but the mixture should not be dry or powdery. It should feel moist.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, orange zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract and then add to the bowl with almond mixture. Continue to combine the mixture with your hands until a dough begins to form.
- Transfer into the prepared pan or baking dish. Spread into an even layer but do not pack it tightly.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before serving it. Break into pieces for serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week. The Sbrisolona freezes well too.
Notes
- No pastry blender? No problem! I actually prefer using my hands for this recipe. There's something so satisfying about feeling the texture change as you work, and your warm fingers distribute the butter perfectly while keeping those essential crumbles intact.
- One thing I love about sbrisolona is that it actually gets better after a day or two as the flavors meld together. Just store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- It freezes beautifully too. I often make a batch, break it into pieces, and freeze half for future cravings. Just layer the pieces with parchment in a freezer container and they'll keep for at least three months. Let them thaw at room temperature when you're ready to enjoy.