is it a cake or a giant biscuit? - well depends on who you ask - here in bella Italia - you can have Torta Sbrisolona both for breakfast, as a dessert or as a little something sweet to go with your coffee.
basically it is a big round cookie, which is topped with crumble/streusel and cooked to crispy perfection. Originally it comes from Mantua in Lombardia - northern Italy.
traditionally the cake is not cut - but broken at the table by the guests - while sipping a glass of sweet wine.
it is one of those really easy recipes, where everything is just mixed together before ot hits a hot oven - and it keeps for days - well that is of course if you can keep your fingers from it.
We sometimes add a bit of jam or chocolate between the base and the crumble - or we might add a bit of nuts or coco to the crumble - this is of course not the tradition - but sometimes you need a bit of variation.
makes 1 tart
for the base:
80 g sugar
120 g flour
80 g soft butter
zest of 1 lemon
For the topping:
40 g sugar
60 g flour
40 g soft butter
50 g crushed hazel nuts - optional
zest of 1 lemon
if you like some chopped dark chocolate or some home cooked jam - like plum or apricot.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
For the base mix all the ingredients together using just your finger tips to form a crumble dough be careful not to overmix - it has to look like bread crumbs. In a lightly buttered cake tin - with loose base, pour in the dough and press it down to form a base.
For the topping mix all the ingredients together, except if you are using jam or chocolate - again using your finer tips to form a crumbly dough.
If you are using jam or marmalade - cover the base with a thin layer of jam or sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the base. Now sprinkle the topping all over in an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and slightly crispy.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When cool, remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving dish. Serve at room temperature.