Torta di Tagliatelle | Authentic Italian Pasta Cake Recipe
Torta di Tagliatelle ("Tagliatelle Cake," although it more resembles a pie) is an Italian dessert that boasts several different regional varieties. This particular recipe follows a variation typical from Mantua. It involves layer of fresh pasta (tagliolini), sweetened almonds, brown sugar, liqueur, and butter which are baked into a crispy pie.
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
For this recipe, you will need:
- 3 1/3 cup (400g) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for dusting
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup (200g) almonds
- 2 cups (400g) white sugar
- Unsalted butter (about 3-4 tbsp, 45-60g)
- Dark rum (about 2oz)
- Brown sugar (to taste, about 3 tbsp)
- Powdered sugar for topping
Begin by mixing and preparing the flour and eggs into a fresh pasta dough. Follow our easy guide here if you are unfamiliar with the technique. Once you reach the stage where the pasta dough requires rest, move on to preparing the almonds.
Roast the almonds in a skillet over medium/high heat until they begin to brown slightly. Finely chop them and mix with the sugar and 1oz. dark rum. Set aside for later.
When the pasta dough has finished resting, roll it out as described in the guide above. Fold and cut it normally, but slice the strands thin (1/4-inch or even thinner) to make "tagliolini." Unroll the strands and place the finished pasta on a well-floured baking sheet.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
Butter a 9-inch pie dish and spread a layer of pasta in the bottom. Top this with a spread layer of almonds, 10-12 thin slices of butter arranged evenly across, then a sprinkling of brown sugar.
Repeat these layers again, then finish with a final layer of pasta topped with more butter and brown sugar. If you have some almond mixture left, you can sprinkle this on top but we recommend avoiding a thick layer here. Drizzle with a quick splash of rum.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pasta on top browns slightly and becomes crispy. Remove from the oven and drizzle again with rum.
Allow to cool completely before topping with powdered sugar and serving. Buon appetito!