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Cakes
Bussola forte
Bussola Forte (Venetian Spice Cake, using white wine, rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper and "Pane degli Angeli")
Originated from: Veneto
Occasion: Special times
Contributed by: Anna-Maria Benvenuto

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Ingredients

1/2 kilo of flour
100 grams sugar
1/2 glass (3 ounces) white wine
1 shot ( 1 1/2 ounces) rum
1 packet vanilla-flavored baking powder (e.g. "Pane degli Angeli")
about 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ["una punta di cucchiaino"]
about 1/4 teaspoon white pepper ["una punta di cucchiaino"]
about 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ["una punta di cucciaino"]
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
50 grams butter, melted, cooled

2 tablespoons olive oil for greasing tube pan
a touch of breadcrumbs for tube pan

For topping (prior to baking)
1 egg white
2 tablespoons icing sugar



Directions

Mix the flour, sugar, baking power, cinnamon, white pepper, nutmeg and salt together.

Beat the eggs.

Add the white wine, rum and butter. Mix well.

Incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ones, until the dough is very smooth.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Place the dough in a tube pan that has been greased with olive oil, and sprinkled with a touch of breadcrumbs.

Brush the top of the dough with a beaten egg white.

Sprinkle some icing sugar on it.

Bake in a hot oven until done -- about 30 minutes.




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

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