Brustengolo
Brustengolo is a rustic Umbrian sweetcorn flat cake from Perugia, studded with sliced apples, walnuts, pine nuts, and raisins scented with aniseed.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 290 kcal
Equipment
- •24 cm round baking tin
- •Large heatproof mixing bowl
- •Whisk
- •Spatula
- •Kettle
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- fat
- 11 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 4 g
- calories
- 290 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and grease a 24 cm baking tin with olive oil.
- 2
Put the fine cornmeal, sugar, aniseed, lemon zest, and sea salt into a heatproof bowl.
- 3
Pour the boiling water steadily into the cornmeal while whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
- 4
Stir in the extra virgin olive oil until the batter turns glossy and thick.
- 5
Fold in the drained raisins, chopped walnuts, pine nuts, and two-thirds of the sliced apples.
- 6
Spread the thick batter evenly into the greased baking tin using a spatula.
- 7
Arrange the remaining apple slices across the top and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- 8
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust turns golden-brown and edges crisp.
- 9
Cool completely in the tin before cutting into wedges to allow the crumb to set.
Chef's tips
Always use fine maize flour (farina fioretto) rather than coarse polenta bramata, which will stay gritty. Whisking in boiling water partially cooks the starch and creates the characteristic soft, fudgy interior. Do not omit the aniseed, as it provides the essential rustic Perugia flavour.
Ingredient substitutions
- aniseed → 1 tbsp of Mistrà or anise liqueur stirred into the wet batter
- pine nuts → an equal quantity of extra chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
- dessert apples → firm autumn pears, peeled and thinly sliced
Storage
Keep covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Reheating
Serve at room temperature or warm wedges gently in an oven at 150C for five minutes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using coarse polenta grain instead of fine fioretto flour, leaving an unpleasantly gritty texture.
- •Slicing the cake while hot from the oven, which causes the dense crumb to collapse.
- •Adding cold water instead of boiling water, failing to hydrate and soften the cornmeal.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Brustengolo?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Umbria
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
