Torta di Tagliatelle (Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake), the Original Recipe

Name: Torta di Tagliatelle (Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake), the Original Recipe
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 300 g of All Purpose Flour; 2 Eggs; 1 Egg Yolks; 250 g of Almonds; 250 g of Sugar; 150 g of Butter

Torta di Tagliatelle is a traditional dessert from Mantua and Emilia, made with egg tagliatelle, almonds, and sugar, and usually prepared for Christmas.

Recipe Torta di Tagliatelle (Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake), the Original Recipe

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 40 minutes
Cooking 40 minutes
Servings for 6 people

Torta di Tagliatelle, the Mantuan tagliatelle cake, is a traditional dessert from the culinary heritage of Mantua and Emilia. It is made with just a few ingredients, as peasant tradition dictates, and was usually prepared during the Christmas holidays.

The alternating layers of pasta and almonds make Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake very crumbly and, in a way, even tricky to eat: getting perfect slices is very hard. Because it is so difficult to portion, some people today line the bottom of the cake with a layer of shortcrust pastry, which, however, strays from the true recipe.

We want to stay faithful to tradition, which is why below we explain the original recipe for Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake step by step. If you are curious about traditional recipes from Mantua, don’t miss the Torta Sbrisolona, the Bussolano, and the Agnolini.

Ingredients for 6 people

300 g of All Purpose Flour
2 Eggs
1 Egg Yolks
250 g of Almonds blanched
250 g of Sugar
150 g of Butter

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Method

To make the Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake, start with the pasta dough: knead the flour with the eggs in a bowl until you get a smooth, elastic dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Divide it into small pieces and flatten them a little with the rolling pin so that they fit the width of the rollers of a pasta machine. Roll them out one at a time into rectangular sheets. Dust them very well with flour and let them dry for 10 minutes per side. Roll them up on themselves without pressing, to form small rolls. Using a wide, flat knife, cut them into very thin slices (about 2 mm). You will get little spirals, which you will open up and spread out on a floured tray.
Coarsely chop the almonds and mix them in a bowl with the granulated sugar. Butter a 22 cm round baking pan and lay one third of the tagliatelle in it without pressing them down. Sprinkle with one third of the almonds and sugar and with small pieces of butter. Make a second layer with the same ingredients, and then a third.
Finish with small pieces of butter and bake in a preheated oven at 150 °C (300 °F) for 1 hour, or until golden.
Once it is baked, let it cool and serve your Mantuan Tagliatelle Cake. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!