This was once called the ‘three cups cake’ as the ingredients - corn flour, white flour and sugar - are used in equal amounts. The origins of this cake are part of the history of Mantua. It is claimed that this cake originated as a sort of hard bread - created by 17th-century Gonzaga bakers - that people could take on trips as a substitute for the torrone made in the Cremona area. One line of thinking holds that, given the simplicity of its ingredients, it must have originated in the peasant tradition, especially as it keeps for a long time. It would have been the sort of bread that was always ready to be offered to a guest, perhaps with a glass of wine...maybe even Lambrusco. The spelling has varied slightly - Sbrisolina, Sbrisulusa, Sbrisulona - but Sbrisolona has become the symbol of Mantuan bakery products, long-lasting bread that gets its name from being so crumbly. Indeed, this sweet bread is not cut, but broken. The crumbly nature is another feature that makes it unique...and ideal for eating with the hands to savour the intense butter and almond flavour.
Ingredients for 8 portions
200g fine white flour
2 Egg yolks
100g butter
200g Mantuan maize flour
100g lard
200g sugar
1 lemon
200g sweet almonds
salt
Method
Mix the two types of flour with the sugar, chopped almonds, a pinch of salt, the grated lemon rind, the yolks, the egg yolks, softened butter and the lard. Knead the dough, but then break it up with your fingers. Place a 3cm-high layer of dough in a buttered and floured 24cm baking tin and cook for 40 minutes. Allow the Sbrisolona to cool in the baking tin before removing it.
Characteristics of the cake
Baked cake.
Round in various sizes. Weighs 500g.