Torta della Nonna: Italian Custard Tart

Torta della Nonna is the most good Italian custard tart made with sweet shortcrust pastryItalian pastry cream and topped with pine nuts. An elegant and beautiful dessert for any occasion.

Torta della Nonna or Grandmother's cake is such a classic Italian dessert!

Perfectly crisp sweet shortcrust pastry with fresh lemon zest and a thick vanilla custard filling topped with crunchy, creamy pine nuts and dusted with confectioner's sugar. It's incredibly good!

Traditionally this dessert is made with a pastry top making it more like a sweet pie rather than a tart but you'll commonly see modern versions without the pastry top like our recipe here.

Don't worry though, if you want to top the tart with more pastry there's enough to do so!

What you need to make it

The main ingredient you need to make Torta della Nonna is Italian Pastry Cream (Crema Pasticcera).

If you're not familiar with pastry cream, it's a thick vanilla custard sometimes flavored with citrus zest or liqueur and can be used to fill all kinds of desserts like our Italian filled doughnuts (so good).

The rest of the ingredients are simple flour, eggs, butter, vanilla and milk. See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need (you can also find the full recipe in the recipe card).

How to make Torta della Nonna – step by step

How to make the filling (Crema Pasticcera)

Warm the milk in a saucepan then set aside.

In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Add the cornstarch (cornflour UK) and mix it into the eggs until combined (photos 1 – 4).

Slowly pour the warm milk into the bowl with the eggs constantly whisking until everything is mixed together (make sure the milk is warm and not hot so the eggs don't scramble) (photos 5 & 6).

Once combined pour the mixture back into the saucepan you warmed the milk in.

Heat it on a low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes until thick (photos 7 – 9).

Once thickened pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of the cream so a skin doesn't form (photo 10).

Once cooled completely place the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.

How to make the pastry (Pasta Frolla)

Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the rest of the dry ingredients including the lemon zest, stir to combine (photos 1 & 2).

Add the egg and butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a spatula or pastry scraper to form rough crumbs (photos 3 & 4).

Start to bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Knead the pastry until all the flour is fully absorbed and it becomes a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour (photos 5-8).

After the dough has chilled remove from the fridge and dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll out using a rolling pin until ¼ inch (½ cm) thick (photo 9).

Grease a tart or pie pan with butter then lay the pastry over the pan tucking in the sides until it fits evenly. Roll the rolling pin over the tart case to cut the edges (you can also trim the edge with a knife) (photos 10-13).

Prick the base with a fork then place back in the fridge for 30 minutes (photo 14).

How to assemble and bake

Soak the pine nuts in water for 5 mins (photo 1).

Remove the pastry case from the fridge and fill with the cooled pastry cream, spread out evenly (photo 2).

Scatter over the pine nuts then bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until slightly golden on top (photo 3 & 4).

Top tips and recipe FAQs

• Prep in advance – You can prepare the pastry cream and shortcrust pastry in advance they'll last well in the fridge stored separately for around 4-5 days.
• Full fat milk – Use full-fat milk to make the pastry cream so it's creamy and thick. Lower fat milk won't thicken as well.
• Use cold butter – use cold butter to make a successful shortcrust pastry. Also see our thorough guide on how to make Italian shortcrust pastry.
• Pine nuts – soak the pine nuts for 5 minutes to stop them browning too quickly in the oven.
• Let it cool – let the tart cool completely so the custard sets.

Do we need to blind bake the pie crust first?

No, it's not necessary for this recipe you only need to blind bake pie crusts if using a filling with excess moisture such as fresh fruit.

How long does Torta della Nonna last?

Torta della Nonna will last for around 4-5 days in the fridge although the pastry will start to soften after a day or two.

Can we freeze it?

No, we don't recommend freezing this tart because pastry cream is known to split and separate after freezing.

More Italian desserts you might like

• Crostata di Frutta – Italian fresh fruit tart with pastry cream
• Italian custard filled doughnuts
• Tiramisu – Authentic Recipe
• White Chocolate Panna Cotta
• Mini Cannoli
• Affogato – Coffee and Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients

Makes 12 servings

Shortcrust pastry (Pasta Frolla)

• 2 cups flour (00 flour or all-purpose (250g))
• ½ cup caster sugar (golden or white (80g))
• 8.5 tbsp cold butter (cubed (120g))
• 1 large egg
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt

Pastry cream (Crema Pasticcera)

• 5 egg yolks
• 2.5 cups milk ((590ml))
• ¼ cup cornstarch ((30g))
• ⅓ cup sugar ((70g))
• ½ tsp vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean (*see notes below)

Topping

• ¼ cup pine nuts ((30g))
• confectioners sugar (for dusting (icing sugar UK))

Equipment

• 7-8 inch tart pan

Method

To make the pastry cream filling

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan with the vanilla then set aside.

2. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar just until combined. Add the cornstarch (cornflour UK) and mix it into the eggs until combined

3. Slowly pour the warm milk into the bowl with the eggs constantly whisking until everything is mixed together (make sure the milk is just warm and not hot so the eggs don't scramble).

4. Once combined pour the mixture back into the saucepan you warmed the milk in.

5. Heat it on a low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes until very thick.

6. Once thickened pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of the cream so a skin doesn't form.

7. Once cooled completely place the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the pastry

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the rest of the dry ingredients including the lemon zest, stir to combine.

2. Add the egg and butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a spatula or pastry scraper to form rough crumbs.

3. Start to bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Knead the pastry until all the flour is fully absorbed and it becomes a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

4. After the dough has chilled remove from the fridge and dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll out using a rolling pin until ¼ inch (½ cm) thick.

5. Grease a 7-8 inch tart or pie pan with butter then lay the pastry over the pan tucking in the sides until it fits evenly. Roll the rolling pin over the tart case to cut the edges (you can also trim the edge with a knife).

6. Prick the base with a fork then place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To assemble

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.

2. Soak the pine nuts in water for 5 mins.

3. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and fill with the cooled pastry cream, spread out evenly.

4. Scatter over the pine nuts then bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

5. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes then remove the tart from the case and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve once cooled or place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Kitchen notes

• Vanilla Instead of vanilla paste, you can use 1 whole vanilla pod with the inside scraped out and added to the milk (remove the pod when adding the milk to the egg) or 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
• Prep in advance You can prepare the pastry cream and shortcrust pastry in advance they'll last well in the fridge stored separately for around 4-5 days.
• Full fat milk Use full-fat milk to make the pastry cream so it's creamy and thick. Lower fat milk won't thicken as well.
• Use cold butter use cold butter to make a successful shortcrust pastry. Also see our thorough guide on Italian shortcrust pastry.
• Pine nuts soak the pine nuts for 5 minutes to stop them browning too quickly in the oven.
• Let it cool let the tart cool completely so the custard sets.