Grandma's cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g flour
• 100 g almond(s), peeled, finely ground
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 200 g butter or margarine, cold
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 egg(s), separated, egg whites set aside for brushing
• 350 ml milk
• 5 tbsp flour
• ½ vanilla pod(s), including the pulp
• 4 egg yolks
• 75 g sugar
• 1 lemon(s), untreated, grated peel
• 50 g pine nuts

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 45 minutes

For the shortcrust pastry, mix the flour with all the ingredients up to and including the sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour by hand until it forms an even crumb. Whisk the egg and egg yolk well, add it to the bowl, and quickly combine everything to form a soft dough; do not knead. Flatten the dough, cover, and chill for about 2 hours. In the meantime, prepare the filling. For the filling, whisk the milk, flour, and vanilla seeds in a pan. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes while stirring. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest well in a bowl. Add the hot milk while stirring. Pour back into the pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring for about 2 minutes. Strain the cream through a sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool. Divide the dough in half and roll each out between two sheets of baking paper to a 3mm thick circle. Cut out a base and a lid, each approximately 26 cm in diameter. Refrigerate the leftover dough (approx. 150 g) and the lid. Place the dough base onto a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Shape the leftover dough into a log approximately 80 cm long and roll it into a snail shape. Brush the edge of the dough base approximately 2 cm wide with the reserved, beaten egg white, place the “snail” on top, unroll it, and flatten it slightly. Spread the cooled cream over the dough base and smooth it out. Brush the edge of the dough with egg white. Place the lid on the filling and press firmly all around with your thumb until a wavy edge forms. Brush with egg white, sprinkle with pine nuts, press lightly, and pierce all over with a wooden skewer, all the way down to the filling. Bake for approximately 40 minutes in the lower half of an oven preheated to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and transfer to a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Note: The Torta della Nonna tastes best after 1 to 2 days. Store covered in the refrigerator.