Torta di Pistacchio

Name: Torta di Pistacchio
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 250 g shelled raw pistachios, blanched and peeled; 200 g caster sugar; 4 large eggs, separated; 1 orange, zest only; 0.5 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting; 50 g candied orange zest, cut into strips, to serve; 30 g roughly chopped pistachios, to scatter

Sicilian flourless pistachio cake with candied orange zest and a dusting of icing sugar

Origin: Sicily, Italy

From the journey of Pistachio.

The flourless pistachio cake is among the most characteristic preparations of Sicilian pasticceria, occupying a position in the island's confectionery tradition comparable to that of the almond cake in Andalusia or the walnut cake in the Balkans. Sicily's pastry tradition is an amalgam of Arab, Norman, and Baroque Spanish influences compressed into a single island cuisine: the Arabs brought sugar cane, almonds, and pistachios; the Normans brought a taste for richness and layering; the Spanish brought the theatrical presentation of the Baroque pastry counter. The flourless pistachio cake expresses all three impulses. It is made without flour, relying entirely on ground pistachios for its structure, which gives it a dense, fudgy interior quite unlike any wheat-based cake: moist at the centre, slightly crisp at the edge, with a fragrance that fills the room as it bakes. Candied orange zest (scorzette d'arancia candite) is the canonical accompaniment: Sicily produces some of the finest candied citrus in the world, from the blood orange orchards of the plain of Catania and the navel orange groves of the Conca d'Oro around Palermo. The combination of pistachio and candied orange belongs to the same flavour logic as the Arab-Sicilian tradition of marzipan frutta martorana (almond paste coloured to resemble fruit): the nut and the citrus, the sweet and the faintly bitter, bound together by the richness of egg and sugar.

Ingredients

Pistachio

250 g shelled raw pistachios, blanched and peeled

Sugar

200 g caster sugar

Eggs

4 large eggs, separated

Citrus

1 orange, zest only

Flavouring

0.5 tsp pure vanilla extract

Seasoning

1 pinch fine sea salt

To finish

1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

To serve

50 g candied orange zest, cut into strips, to serve
30 g roughly chopped pistachios, to scatter

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C). Grease and line the base of a 22 cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
Blitz the peeled pistachios in a food processor until you have a fine meal with some slightly coarser pieces remaining. Do not over-process to a paste.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 150g of the caster sugar, the orange zest, and the vanilla extract until the mixture is pale, thick, and ribbony, about 4 minutes with an electric mixer.
Fold the ground pistachio into the egg yolk mixture in two additions until evenly combined.
In a clean bowl with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 50g of caster sugar and continue beating until you have stiff, glossy peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the pistachio mixture in three additions, using a large flexible spatula and working gently to preserve the volume. Fold until just combined: a few streaks of white are acceptable.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is risen, set at the edges, and a thin skewer inserted at the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The centre should still have a very slight wobble.
Cool completely in the tin before unmoulding. Dust generously with icing sugar. Arrange the candied orange zest and scattered pistachios on top. Serve in slices with a small cup of strong espresso.

Notes

The cake keeps well for up to three days at room temperature, wrapped in paper rather than cling film, which traps moisture and softens the crust. It is excellent the day after baking, when the pistachio flavour has deepened. A thin layer of pistachio cream (crema di pistacchio, available at Italian delicatessens) spread over the top before serving the candied orange makes a more elaborate version suitable for a celebration table.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control