Radicchioblog

Today is Fat Tuesday the end of Carnevale and a huge celebration in many parts of the world, particularly in Italy. Two very big festivals take place in Italy, one in Venice and the other in Viareggio on the Tuscan coast. In Florence, children dress up in costumes and throw confetti to the wind. At home, they are usually treated to a luscious piece of Tuscan sponge cake otherwise known as Schiacciata alla Fiorentina. This delicious light and airy dessert is eaten throughout the year but is a favorite around Carnevale. Lighter than American sponge cake, it can be eaten in a variety of ways including filled with whipped cream. Try this easy recipe or make a quick trip to Tuscany, whichever is easier…

SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA (FLORENTINE SPONGE CAKE)
This is a delicious spongy cake, popular around Carnival time in February but now found year-round, particularly in shops in downtown Florence.

Makes: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

250g all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or 50g lard)
1 cup milk
grated orange peel from 1 orange
½ tsp saffron powder
90g sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
powdered sugar to decorate

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients and beat thoroughly until the batter is smooth and thick with no lumps. Grease a shallow rectangular baking pan and pour in the batter (the schiacciata should be about 2 cm high). Bake at 150°c for 30 minutes. Sprinkle plenty of powdered sugar on top of the cake.

If you want and have a sweet tooth, you can slice the cake and fill it with whipped cream or frosting. You can also put a crown in the middle during carnevale. Whoever finds the crown has good luck, legend has it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 6:59 pm and is filed under Baking, Cooking, Tuscany, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.