Ingredients
Livornese Cake*
Eggs, 12
Very fine flour, 4 pounds
Sugar, 1 1/3 pounds
Pure olive oil, 1/2 pint
Butter, 2 ounces
Beer yeast, 3/4 ounce
Anise, 1/8 ounce
Vino santo (old raisins wine) 1/3 pint
Marsala wine, 1/4 pint
Orange flour water, 2/3 pint
*makes 3 medium-sized cakes
Directions
These cakes are popular at Easter time. In that mild Spring season the raising of the dough is easier, and the housewife will not risk her work and ingredients, as this cake requires prolonged and careful manipulation, favored by mild temperature. The following quantity of ingredients [noted above] is sufficient for three medium-sized cakes.
Follow carefully the operations described:
1. -- Mix the two wines and wash the anise thoroughly. Take a small portion of the wine in a separate dish and place the anise in it, allowing it to soak. Melt the beer yeast in a half glass of lukewarm water, and add as much flour as necessary to form a consistent loaf. Heap the rest of the flour in a pan, put the yeast loaf on it and cover it with flour. Keep the pan at moderate kitchen temperature during the night.
2. -- In the morning, when the yeast loaf is well raised, place it on the pastry board, spread it, and add one egg, a spoonful of oil, a spoonful of sugar, a spoonful of wine, and enough flour to form a larger loaf. Mix everything well, but do not work it too much. Replace it on the flour and cover it as before. Allow it to raise for six or seven hours.
3. -- After seven hours add 3 eggs, three spoonfuls of oil, three of sugar, three of vine and some flour. Cover as before. Allow it to raise.
4. -- Remove the loaf. Add five eggs, five spoonfuls of sugar, five of oil, five of wine, and the necessary flour. Allow it to raise again.
5. -- Mix the remaining three eggs, the butter and the rest of the ingredients, melting the butter on a low fire. Add this to the loaf. Work well and form a well-blended loaf. If too soft, add enough flour to make it consistent.
Divide the loaf into three or four parts. Form them into four round loaves.
Place each in a separate baking dish, smeared with butter and covered with a sheet of paper up to the edge. Be sure that the dish is large enough to allow raising expansion. Now, due to the periodical addition of ingredients, the raising takes longer. If you wish to hasten it, place the dishes in warm water. When raised, the dough appears to quiver when the dish is handled. Now, using a brush, smear the surface first with orange flower water, and then, using the same brush, with egg yolk.
Bake in a very moderate oven. Since it is a thick loaf, the temperature must always be evenly low in order to assure the proper baking of the inside of the cake.
If the above operations are carried out carefully these home-made Livornese cakes will be even more delicious than the famous ones of Burchi of Pisa.
Notes
This recipe (#344) was taken from "The Italian Cook Book" adapted from the Italian of Pellegrino Artusi by Olga Ragusa. It was published by S.F. Vanni in New York in 1945. For the complete copyright cook book see www.archive.org. Photo of store-bought Italian holiday bread: Mary Melfi. |
