Home Italy Revisited Bookshelf Plays About Mary Melfi Contact Us
in
Cakes
chocolate cake
Torta di Cioccolato (Italian Chocolate Cake, using butter, milk, grated chocolate, lemon zest and "Pane degli Angeli")
Originated from: Italy
Occasion: Any time & special times
Contributed by: Anna-Maria Benvenuto

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients

For the cake batter:
300 grams (about 10 1/2 ounces) flour
100 grams (about 3 1/2 ounces) butter
200 grams (about 7 ounces) sugar
150 grams (about 5 1/4 ounces) [Bakers'] chocolate, finely grated
3 eggs, separated
1 glass (6 ounces) milk
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
1 packet of vanilla-flavored baking powder (e.g. "Pane degli Angeli")
A pinch of salt

For dusting (optional):
Icing sugar

For the cream filling (optional):
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) flour
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) butter
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) sugar
1/2 liter (1/2 quarts) of milk
Zest of 1 lemon
50 grams (about 1 2/3 ounces) unsweetened cocoa ("cacao amaro")

For the topping (Optional)
1/2 liter (1/2 quarts) cream
Grated chocolate



Directions

To make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Grease a cake pan of 26 centimeters in diameter. Dust it with flour.

Grate the chocolate.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

Melt the butter. Cool.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very creamy.

Add the salt to creamed egg yolk and sugar mixture.

Add the milk, stirring constantly.

Add the flour and mix very well.

Add a pinch of salt.

Add the finely grated lemon zest.

Add the vanilla-flavored baking powder (e.g. "Pane degli Angeli").

Add the finely grated chocolate.

Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Pour the cake batter in a greased and floured cake pan and bake at 350 F degrees until ready -- about 35 minutes to 40 minutes.

Cool.

The cake can simply be dusted with icing sugar and served as is, or it can be layered with cream.



To make the cream filling:

Melt the butter over low heat.

Add little by little the milk, the flour, cocoa and the sugar, all the time stirring constantly.

Add the lemon zest and continue to stir for a few minutes.

Cool.

Meanwhile cut the cake in two or three parts.

Spread the cream filling on the bottom layer, and cover with the second layer. Repeat the procedure if the cake is cut in 3 parts.

For decorating the cake, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

Spread the whipped cream on the top of the cake and on the sides of the cake.

Top with grated chocolate.




Notes

Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto has collected hundreds of recipes from relatives, friends, and neighbors over the years. She recorded the recipes in Italian in numerous notebooks, often naming the recipe after the person who gave it to her. Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto also copied recipes from Italian cookbooks, magazines and newspapers. The recipe in this entry was found in an Italian cookbook published in the early 1970s. Being an avid baker Mrs. Benvenuto tried out many of the recipes herself. However, because of her enormous talent and expertise, she did not feel the need to write detailed instructions as she knew how to make the recipes without them. However, when asked by this website's archivist (Mary Melfi) for details, she quickly volunteered the information. Nonetheless, as with most first generation Italian-Canadian handwritten recipes, it is understood that whoever attempts to duplicate them should have some knowledge of what they are doing.... Photo: Mary Melfi

Back to main list