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Pinolata Italian Pine Nut Cake

Pinolata, Italian Pine Nut Cake, a dense but soft, mildly sweet and nutty cake, perfect dunk-in-your-coffee cake, ideal for breakfast, brunch or as a snack. A classic cake, popular in different Italian Regions with variations accordingly.

Pinolata Italian Pine Nut Cake

Pinolata, Italian Pine Nut Cake, a dense but soft, mildly sweet and nutty cake, perfect dunk-in-your-coffee cake, ideal for breakfast, brunch or as a snack. A classic cake, popular in different Italian Regions with variations accordingly.

Pinolata Italian Pine Nut Cake

Prep Time

20 min

Total Time

1 hour 10 min

Serves

6–8 people

Print

Ingredients

250 g granulated sugar

160 g butter, at room temperature

4 eggs, organic free-range, divided

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

300 g flour 00

16 g baking powder

100 g pine nuts

For the topping

1 egg white

50 g granulated sugar

25 g pine nuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease and line a 22-24 cm round springform pan.
  2. Melt the butter and let it cool. Roughly chop the pine nuts.
  3. Squeeze the lemon, keep the juice aside. Grate the zest and add it to the sugar, massaging it into the sugar.
  4. Separate the egg yolks from the whites in 2 different bowls. Beat the egg yolks with the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar flavored with the lemon zest, the lemon juice and keep beating until all incorporated.
  5. Sift the flour and the baking powder. Add it to the batter by the spoonful, slowly and gently incorporating it.
  6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add it slowly to the batter, incorporating it with circular movements from the bottom to the top.
  7. Lastly, add the chopped pine nuts and fold gently.
  8. Pour the thick batter into the prepared pan and cook in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes. Check it, poking with a skewer the center of the cake, if it comes out clean it’s done.
  9. In the meantime, beat the egg white with the sugar. Set aside.
  10. Take the cake out of the oven, quickly but gently spread the egg white/sugar on top. Add the rest of the pine nuts. Put it back in the oven, turn on the broiler on low, and cook the top for about 5 minutes.
  11. Let cool on a rack.
  12. Ready to serve. Enjoy!

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