Home Italy Revisited Bookshelf Plays About Mary Melfi Contact Us
in
Cakes
pan di Spagna
Mary's Pan di Spagna (using cake flour; layered with "crema pasticcera"; frosted)
Originated from: Casacalenda, Molise, Italy
Occasion: Weddings, Baptisms and other special events
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients

For cake batter:
8 "extra large" eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For "Crema Pasticcera" (Traditional Italian lemon-flavored pastry cream)
4 "extra large" egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sweet almond extract
2 1/4 cups "whole" milk, scalded
3 tablespoons flour

For Chocolate-Flavored Crema Pasticcera:
4 "extra large" egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sweet almond extract
2 1/2 cups "whole" milk, scalded
3 tablespoons flour

For Italian Traditional frosting:
3 "extra large" egg whites
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

For decoration:
1 cup "roasted" almond flakes
about 2 teaspoons icing sugar (optional)

Equipment needed:
3 cake baking pans, about 8 inches wide, greased and lightly floured



Directions

To make cake batter:

o Using an electric beater (Or Kitchen Aid), cream egg yolks with sugar.

o Slowly add flour to egg and sugar mixture.

o Remove mixture from bowl and place it in a large container.

o Place the egg whites in the (electric beater) bowl, beat for a minute or so. Add salt.

o Beat egg whites until stiff.

o Fold beaten egg whites to the flour, egg yolk and sugar mixture.

o Divide resulting batter in three portions and pour into three separate cake pans that been greased and lightly floured.

o Bake in a 350 F degree oven for about 14 to 18 minutes or until the cakes are nicely cooked (Use the usual "skewer" method to check to see if the cakes are done).

o Cool.



To make "la crema pasticcera":

o Warm up the milk (almost to the boiling point, but not quite).

o Mix egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and sweet almond extract.

o Slowly add the hot milk, beating constantly.

o Slowly add flour, beating constantly.

o Place the mixture in a sauce pan and cook over low heat until it boils and then thickens, all the while stirring it (and making sure it does not burn). When it has the look of a custard, it's ready (Takes anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes).

o Cool.

o After the cakes have been baked and cooled, remove from their containers.

o For a professional look, one can remove the "rounded" upper top part of each layer, but if one is an amateur (like this contributor) one can omit this step and by so doing avoid the risk of cutting out too much cake, and messing the whole thing up.



To the make chocolate-flavored "crema pasticcera":

o Follow the same steps as for the lemon-flavored pastry cream, except the sugar is doubled, and cocoa powder is added to the mixture of egg yolks and sugar etc.



For sprinkling liqueur (OPTIONAL):

o Sprinkle each layer of cake with the liqueur (the amount used varies on how much one likes the flavor of the liqueur -- some Italians use a lot, drenching the tops of the cakes with it, others omit it altogether as children and some adults (like this contributor) often don't like the taste of the liqueur at all.



To layer the cake with the pastry cream:

o Place the first layer of cake on a large dish. Using a spoon or spatula layer the cake with the lemon-flavored pastry cream.

o Top with another cake layer.

o Add the chocolate-flavored pastry cream to the second cake layer.

o Top with the 3rd layer of cake.

o Place the prepared cake in the fridge, and make the sugar frosting (The sugar frosting needs to be made after the cake has already been prepared, rather than prior to it, for the frosting hardens, and as it needs to be smooth and fresh for it to be spread on the top of the cake, it needs to be as fresh as possible.)



To make the traditional Italian sugar frosting:

o Mount the egg whites and add the sugar slowly until it forms peaks.

o Cook the sugar and egg white mixture in a double boiler for 10 to 15 minutes (The egg whites are cooked in this fashion in order to avoid the possibility of food poisoning).



To frost the cake:

o Spread the icing on the cake and decorate with roasted flaked almonds.

o Keep in fridge until needed (The fresher the better).



Before serving:

o Dust with a touch of icing sugar (optional).




Notes

This recipe is in part Alexander Lenard's recipe for "Zuppa Inglese." Alexander Lenard, a German chef who investigated the cookery of Rome in the late 1950s and published the book "The Fine Art of Roman Cooking" (now out of print) insisted that "Zuppa Inglese" was made with "Pan di Spagne." Even though his recipe for "Zuppa Inglese" doesn't taste at all like the cake that North Americans have come to associate the name with, his recipe for "pan di spagne" does taste a lot like the "classic Italian cake" that is now sold in Montreal's Italian pastry shops. Photo: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list