5 simple sweet treats: cake and dessert recipes from Italy
But it goes even further: Italians love sugar so much that they often indulge on a daily basis — a small pastry with their coffee for breakfast, perhaps, or a slice of something delicious in the afternoon. Here are five of my favourites.
Chocolate sin cake
Serves 10
I first encountered this cake in Sicily and since then it has become a regular feature in my repertoire. The combination of chocolate and coffee — along with its squidginess — make this irresistible.
Ingredients
• 250g dark chocolate
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1½ tbsp cold Italian espresso coffee
• 6 large eggs
• 200g soft brown sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
• Poached fruit and crème fraîche, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Grease the base and sides of a 25cm cake tin, then either flour the tin or line with baking parchment.
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water — making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the vanilla and salt to the chocolate, then the coffee, mix and leave to cool.
3. Whisk together the eggs and sugar for 8 minutes until thick and creamy, using either a handheld or stand mixer. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar and combine on a low speed.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes, then leave it to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin, dust with cocoa powder and enjoy with poached fruit and crème fraîche, if liked — it is ridiculously good.
CLARE WINFIELD
Blood orange and almond cake
Serves 8-12
A gluten-free cake that hits the spot. The blood orange season is short, but normal oranges also give fantastic results.
Ingredients
• 280g unsalted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 175g ground almonds
• 175g coarse polenta
• Zest and juice of 4 blood oranges
• Blood orange slices and chopped almonds, to decorate (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 25cm loose-bottomed round cake tin with baking parchment.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thickened. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the ground almonds, polenta, orange zest and juice and mix well.
3. In a clean separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold the whites into the mixture.
4. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely in the tin.
5. Before serving, decorate the cake with blood orange slices and chopped almonds, if liked.
CLARE WINFIELD
Fig, amaretti and ricotta tart
Serves 8-10
When the figs are ripe and succulent, this tart demands to be made. Full of classic Venetian tastes and textures, a small slice with an espresso is enough to lift your day.
Ingredients
• 130g unsalted butter
• 250g amaretti biscuits
• 175g full-fat soft cheese
• 500g ricotta
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
• 12 ripe figs, trimmed and sliced
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease the base and sides of a deep 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Blitz the amaretti in a food processor, then add to the pan with the butter and mix well. Tip the mixture into the base of the prepared tin, then press down with the back of the spoon to evenly distribute the crumbs and cover the base and sides. Bake the tart base for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
3. Mix together the soft cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and amaretto liqueur. Spoon the mixture evenly over the tart base. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, then top with the sliced figs in a circular pattern. Scatter over the fennel seeds to finish, if liked.
Note You may like to top the tart with a fig leaf syrup, as I have done here. To make the syrup, combine 1 litre water, 3 fig leaves and 150g caster sugar, then boil together until thick and syrupy. Drizzle over the tart to finish.
CLARE WINFIELD
Peach and pistachio slice
Makes 14 slices
A strong recipe for a novice baker, as the method is simple and easy to master. Milk provides a tender crumb for all cakes, and this is no exception. Adding pistachios makes this a bright, colourful, cheerful cake to enjoy in the Italian peach season.
Ingredients
• 185g Italian 00 flour
• 170g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra for sprinkling
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 50g pistachios, chopped, plus extra to decorate
• 3 large eggs
• 60ml milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 180g butter, softened
• 2 ripe peaches, each stoned/pitted and cut into 6 pieces
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 140C fan/gas 3. Grease the base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm baking tin.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, baking powder, salt and pistachios and make a well in the centre.
3. Put the eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest in another bowl and mix to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, add the butter and beat for 2 minutes until smooth.
4. Spread the mixture evenly into the baking tin. Push the peach pieces into the cake mixture in two rows of six. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle over the extra sugar and cook for another 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Decorate with pistachios and cut the cake into fingers to serve.
CLARE WINFIELD
Classic tiramisu
Serves 10-12
Literally translated, this means 'pick me up' as the sugar and alcohol lift the spirits. Make in a large serving dish or in individual portions: it looks impressive when presented in small tumblers.
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 100g caster sugar
• 200ml double cream
• 250g mascarpone
• 200ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
• 100ml marsala
• 24 Savoiardi biscuits or sponge fingers
• Cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
1. In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric whisk. Using the same whisk but in another bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks, then add the mascarpone and briefly whisk again to combine. Now use a hand whisk to mix this into the egg yolk mixture until just combined.
2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then — using a metal spoon or a whisk – mix into the cream mixture, incorporating as much air as possible.
3. Pour the espresso and marsala into a large bowl ready for dipping the biscuits.
4. Use 10-12 individual glasses or a 25cm serving dish to assemble the tiramisu. Cover the base of your glasses or dish with a 2cm layer of the cream, then a layer of the biscuits that have been dipped quickly into the espresso mixture. You have to do the soaking and layering as you go or they will become soggy — and traditionally Italians do not like soggy biscuits.
5. Continue to build the layers of cream and biscuits, ending with a layer of cream. Chill in the fridge, ideally for 6-24 hours. Dust with cocoa powder to serve.
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