Sbrisolona

Iginio Massari’s selected sbrisolona is a hard, crumbly almond cake associated with Mantua in Lombardy. Type 00 flour, fine corn flour and unpeeled almond flour combine with chopped raw almonds for a richly textured sweet.

The flours and baking powder form a mound on the work surface. Butter, salt, eggs and sugar are worked in its centre before Maraschino, chopped almonds and vanilla seeds join them.

The dough is pressed onto a parchment-lined tray and chilled in the freezer until rigid. Pieces are then passed through a coarse rack to make large crumbs.

These crumbs spread gently into a parchment-lined flared tin without being compressed. The cake bakes until golden, then cools before unmoulding and serving.

The recipe describes sbrisolona as a cake served in coarse pieces, matching its name’s reference to crumbs. A dessert wine is suggested alongside Massari’s version, keeping the cake’s almond richness at the centre.