Italian cake - Zuccotto

Name: Italian cake - Zuccotto - Alina A.
Ingredients: Base: 120 g powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar; 50 g starch; 50 g flour Filling: 200 g dark chocolate; 50 g almonds; 50 g hazelnuts; 50 g meringues; 1l whipped cream; 50 g powdered sugar Others: 150 ml brandy; 150 ml amaretto; 200 g chocolate glaze; powdered sugar for decoration

Desert - Italian cake - Zuccotto by Alina A. - Recipia

The Italian cake Zuccotto is a delicious dessert that combines culinary tradition with refinement, making it perfect for special occasions or to pamper family and friends. This cake has a distinctive bowl-like shape, being a true feast for the senses. Preparing it requires a little time and attention, but the result is truly spectacular. To make this dessert, you will need the following ingredients: 200 g of flour, 50 g of cocoa powder, 150 g of sugar, 200 g of dark chocolate, 4 eggs, 100 ml of milk, 100 g of butter, 1 packet of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. These simple yet quality ingredients will contribute to creating a cake with a rich taste and a wonderful texture. Start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture becomes frothy and light in color. Add the melted (but cooled) butter and milk, gently mixing to integrate the ingredients. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry mixture over the wet mixture and fold with a spatula, being careful not to incorporate too much air into the batter. Pour the resulting batter into a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cake cools, you can prepare the filling. Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler, then let it cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until you achieve a firm consistency and gently fold in the melted chocolate, mixing lightly to avoid losing air from the cream. To assemble the cake, cut the cooled cake into thin slices. Place a piece of plastic wrap inside a deep bowl, leaving the edges hanging over the sides. Arrange the cake slices on the bottom and sides of the bowl, covering the entire surface well. Pour the chocolate filling into the center and cover with the remaining cake slices, pressing gently. Cover the cake with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Once the cake has set, invert it onto a serving platter and remove the plastic wrap. Decorate with a little cocoa powder or grated chocolate. The Zuccotto cake is now ready to be enjoyed, offering a delicious experience and an attractive appearance, perfect for impressing anyone. Enjoy!

Preparation

Italian cake - Zuccotto is a delicious dessert. A large baking tray is lined with parchment paper. The oven is preheated to 175 degrees C. For the biscuit base, beat 5 egg yolks with 120g of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar. The 5 egg whites are beaten until stiff and added to the mixture. 50g of cornstarch is mixed with 50g of flour, allowed to rest briefly, and added to the composition. This is poured into the tray to a height of about 1 cm and placed in the preheated oven (level 2) to bake for 15 minutes. It is turned out onto a surface, the paper is removed, and it is allowed to cool well. In a deep bowl with a round bottom (approximately 10cm in diameter), place parchment paper or foil. Cut a circle from the biscuit base and place it at the bottom of the bowl, while the rest of the base is cut into trapezoids and placed around the edge (leaving some base for covering the top). 150 ml of Amaretto is mixed with 150 ml of brandy to soak the biscuit. Filling: half of the chocolate is grated coarsely (with a knife), and the other half is melted with 100 ml of cream over a water bath. The almonds and hazelnuts are chopped into larger pieces and briefly toasted. The remaining cream is whipped hard with 50g of powdered sugar. Once the hazelnuts and almonds have cooled well, they are added to the cream, along with the chopped chocolate. The cream mixture is divided into two. Half is mixed with the crushed meringues, the other half with the whipped cream and chocolate (after it has cooled). The white half is spread over the biscuit, leaving the center empty, and placed in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then the other half is added, covered with the remaining biscuit, soaked, and left to chill for 6 hours (or overnight). For decoration, the cake is turned upside down and covered with chocolate glaze. When it has cooled, sharp triangles cut from paper are placed on top, and powdered sugar is sprinkled. Other recommended cake recipes: