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(Italiano) Ciambella cocco e nutella
Showing all posts tagged cake
(Italiano) Sbriciolata alla ricotta
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(Italiano) Torta cioccolato e banana
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Egg whites and cocoa cake
Recycling is always a good thing, even in the kitchen.
Sometimes I find myself with plenty of egg whites, and the best way to use them up is baking a good cake. It can be flavoured in many ways (oranges are my favourites) but this time I’m going to go for a super easy recipe, using just cocoa powder, and no milk at all.
All you need is
180 gr egg whites
170 gr sugar
170 gr flour
100 gr vegetable oil
35 gr cocoa powder
150 gr water
16 gr baking powder
Icing sugar for decoration
In a bowl put the sugar with the liquid ingredients (oil and water) and stir. Then add the flours (flour, cocoa powder and baking powder) and stir again.
Then add the egg whites, previously whisked until stiff.
Put the batter into a greased loaf tin and bake it at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
When it’s cold sprinkle it with icing sugar and serve.
Ricotta tart
You know I don’t like overcomplicated cakes. Just easy and possibly healthy and good-tasting stuff.
So you may understand why I go for a ricotta cake (an Italian cheese, in case you did not know) any time I need something easy, quick and good. Besides, it’s a real lifesaver any time you have celiac guests, because it has no flour in it.
As I skimmed through the net to see if there were other alternatives to my basic version, I found out that the recipe I’ve always used is in fact the base for a Jewish-Roman traditional cake called cassola. I completely ignored that! The traditional cake has spices and a small glass of liquor in it, but the fundamental ingredients are just the same. A real coincidence!
So here we go. Ingredients are really easy to kind in any pantry:
300 gr ricotta
3 eggs
100 gr sugar
1 lemon
25 gr starch
4 tbs chocolate chips
Icing sugar for decoration
First of all we must separate yolks and egg whites. Yolks go into a bowl with the sugar. With the help of a mixer whisk them well, then add the cheese, the starch, and the juice and zest of the lemon.
In another bowl whip the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks, and then incorporate them little by little. As last finishing, put the chocolate chips into the dough.
Pour the dough into a baking pan covered with greaseproof paper, and bake it at 180 degrees for some 30/35 minutes.
Orange bars
I love oranges, they’re one of the most versatiles fruits of this season. You can use all of them, zests included. And one of the tarts that to me is the quintessence of oranges is the orange bar, which is gonna make you happy at tea time or even after lunch or dinner. It is so easy to make that you will have it ready in minutes literally.
Ingredients are few:
140 gr of gluten free flour
120 gr non salted butter
150 gr sugar
3 eggs
1 organic orange (we need the zest and the juice)
1 tsp baking powder
Melt the butter and then whisk it carefully with the sugar. Then add the eggs and continue whisking properly until the batter is soft and without lumps.
Add the orange zest and the juice, whisk it into the batter, and then adda again the flour little by little (Always whisking to avoid lumps) and the baking powder. Please check carefully the consistency of the batter, it must be soft and creamy, not too liquid and not too solid.
Put the batter into a baking pan (square) covered the greaseproof paper, level it evenly and then bake it into a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20/25 minutes.
Let it cool down and then cut it into bits, and then drizzle with some icing sugar.
Enjoy!
Castagnaccio with orange juice
I have a confession to make: I hate castagnaccio!
I’ve always thought it tasted like cardboard… not that desirable! But this is a traditional cake from Tuscany and it is the quintessence of cakes for people suffering from celiac disease like my dad. As I did not like it, I made a few adds, like sugar and orange juice… purists will certainly argue about that but I think it is supertasty, so why not!?
It is also quite simple to make and bake, so let’s go.
Ingredients are:
250 grams of chestnuts flour
5 tbs brown sugar (it is about 50 grams)
1 tbs candiade orange zest
20 gr pine nuts
20 gr raisin
10 gr nuts
15 gr EVO oil
300 ml water (room temperature)
100 ml orange juice
1 pinch of salt
Rosemary to decorate
Soak to soften th raisin and the put the pint nuts into a non stock pan to toast them. As soon as they start to exude the oils turn the heat off and let them cool down.
Take a bowl and sifts the chestnut flour into it, then pour the water in and then the orange juice, and stir well to prevent lumps. Then add the sugar, the oil and a pinch pof salt.
Whisk well until it reaches a batter-like consistency.
Then add the pine nuts, the raisin and the candied orange zest.
Put the batter into a greased baking tray (about 18 cm diameter), decorate it with the nuts, some other pine nuts and rosemary, and then into the convection oven, preheated at 180 degrees and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Check the cake with a toothpick (start some 10 minutes before the baking time is due) as every oven bakes differently.
The flavours of chestnuts and orange are so good together and they’ll surprise you!
It’s the perfect vegan and glutenfree cake!
(Italiano) Torta allo zafferano e mandorle
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Torta caprese
The torta caprese is one of the most luscious cakes you can imagine.
And the simplest to make. A few passages and you’ll be thrown in another world.
The history of this cake dates as far back as the 1920s, or so it seems and like many of the most famous Italian cakes it is alleged to have been created by mistake. We Italians are creative even beyond our control! Apparently a famous chef was intent to prepare a chocolate cake for some distinguished American guests (some say they were famous American Mafiosi, but who would say?) and he forgot to put the flour in it, thus making maybe the first gluten-free cake of the century. The cake soon became exceptionally famous and it still is. No need to wonder, taste a small bit of it and you’ll know why.
Any baker in Italy has a recipe, I’ll leave you mine:
125 g dark chocolate
125 g butter
100 g sugar
150 g almonds
3 eggs
Powdered sugar
One pinch of salt
Water
Preheat the oven to 350° F /180° C.
Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it in a non-stick pan (preferably) with some water (not much, two or three tablespoons will do) over a moderate flame, stirring continuously. Once melted, add the butter in pieces (still stirring) until it melts. Then take it off the flame.
In the meantime, toast the almonds in a non-stick pan over a flame until they’re slightly brown. Chop them with the aid of a mixer. Add the almonds to the chocolate mix and let it cool down a bit.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they’re clear, and then add the chocolate mixture. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
Then pass on to the egg whites, beat them with the help of a pinch of salt until they’re stiff and then gently fold them with the rest of the ingredients.
Tale a cake pan and cover it with greaseproof paper. Pour the batter into it (level it if necessary) then bake for 20/30 minutes (check with a toothpick).
Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Then decorate with powdered sugar.
You’ll love it!