Torta Frangipane with Fujian BaiLin Black Tea

I recently came across this Italian cookbook titled "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well" by Pellegrino Artusi. It was first published in 1891 in Italian and later translated into English. As I looked through the books at a used book store, this book caught my interest as it was an old cookbook and focused on Italian cooking and baking. I was looking for some desserts that are not too sweet (like a number of Asian desserts) that would pair with tea and not overpower it. Desserts that were light on sweetness but still very satisfying.

As I flipped through the dessert section, I realized that it was very bare on instructions. No mention of how long it would take to bake or temperature of the oven. Sometimes ingredients would also be missing. But, despite this, I decided to go with a "Torta Frangipane" recipe that was also missing the quantity of butter that is required in the recipe. I also later found out that most "frangipane" recipes include ground almonds or almond meal.

It turned out to be a dense cake and somewhat like a cheesecake without the cheese. Not too sweet but I think I may just add a bit more butter the next time. The recipe also called for potato flour but I used regular all purpose flour as potato flour isn't very common. I'm going to try the recipe again with a few more modifications.

I added lemon curd to it for added flavour.

I paired this cake with a Fujian Bai Lin Black Tea. This black tea did not have many golden tips that are characteristic of a higher grade Bai Lin, it was more basic for everyday. The flavour of the tea was still quite nice, a delicate tea with some maltiness and sweet fruit and caramel notes to it. It went well with the "Torta" as it wasn't too sweet so the flavours of the tea were still noticeable. Also, the hint of lemon could still be tasted in the cake as the tea wasn't too strong as to overpower it which makes for a great pairing!


Higher quality Bai Lin tea is usually called Bai Lin Gong Fu Black Tea which indicates that it is well made or made with much effort. It is made from a white tea varietal and is hand processed. Besides caramel notes, I have read that hints of dark chocolate could also be present.