Fregolotta (Venetian Crumbly Almond Cake)

• 150 g Unsalted butter, cold
• 150 g Caster sugar
• 1 medium Lemon
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Egg yolk
• 200 g Ground almonds
• 120 g Plain flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 pinch Fine sea salt

1. Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Lightly grease a 24 cm tart tin and set it on a baking tray.
2. In a mixing bowl, rub the butter into the caster sugar with your fingertips until you have a sandy, clumpy mixture. Finely zest the lemon into the bowl and mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Whisk the egg yolks briefly, then add them to the bowl and toss through to form larger crumbs. Add the ground almonds, plain flour, baking powder and fine sea salt, then mix with your hands until the mixture looks like coarse, buttery rubble with some bigger clumps.
4. Tip the crumbs into the tin and spread them out evenly. Press very lightly so it holds together but stays crumbly on top.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until deeply golden at the edges and lightly golden across the top. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a rack.
6. Once fully cool, break the fregolotta into rough pieces to serve. It should snap and crumble rather than slice cleanly.

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