Pinolata – A Traditional Tuscan Recipe

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PinolataPinenut Cake

The pinolata is a delicious dessert made with soft dough that has been enriched with pine nuts. This dessert originated in Tuscany, specifically in Siena and the Chianti region, but has since spread to many Italian tables! There are several versions: we offer the more “rustic” variant, which is filled with a velvety cream and sandwiched between two layers of soft and delicate dough, to which pine nuts are “drizzled” just before baking.

Raisins and pine nuts can be added to the filling to make it more consistent and full-bodied. With or without these additions, the pinolata will astound you with its simplicity and delicacy; a soft dessert that can be enjoyed at the end of a meal, perhaps with an excellent vin santo to enhance its flavour!

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the cake:

• 250 g sugar
• 250 g room-temperature butter
• 4 eggs
• 300 g flour
• Pinenuts
• Salt
• Vanilla
• Lemon rind

Procedure

Cream the butter and sugar together until the consistency is fluffy and light. Next add one egg, stirring in one at a time, but not over-mixing. Then mix in the flour. Place half of the mixture into a cake tin. Next, you will need to make the ‘crema pasticcera’ as per the recipe. Layer this cream mix on top of the mixture already in the cake tin, before adding the remainder of the cake mixture. Sprinkle with pinenuts, then bake in a 150°C oven for 1 hour.

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Pinenut Cake The pinolata is a delicious dessert made with soft dough that has been enriched with pine nuts. This dessert originated in Tuscany, specifically in Siena and the Chianti region, but has since spread to many Italian tables! There are several versions: we offer the more “rustic” variant, which…

Pinenut Cake The pinolata is a delicious dessert made with soft dough that has been enriched with pine nuts. This dessert originated in Tuscany, specifically in Siena and the Chianti region, but has since spread to many Italian tables! There are several versions: we offer the more “rustic” variant, which…