Italian Grandma’s Cake

Italian Grandma’s Cake – Rustic, Creamy & Comforting

A simple Italian dessert packed with nostalgia and flavor, this cake layers buttery dough with silky pastry cream and is topped with pine nuts and powdered sugar. Just like Nonna’s, it’s perfect with coffee or shared at celebrations.

🛒 Ingredients

For the Pastry Cream:

• 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup (100g) sugar
• ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

For the Dough:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (100g) sugar
• ½ cup (115g) cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

For the Topping:

• ¼ cup pine nuts (or sliced almonds)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting