I was cruising  on the  internet when I stumbled upon one of Molly’s recipes for a “Marmalade cake“. I bookmarked it and made it with only some little changes a few days later because I couldn’t wait to try it. I fell in love with this recipe. I had a similar recipe but it was made with butter and also had considerably more  sugar so I never made it. Hers was my dream cake,  it had olive oil instead of butter so it was perfect for dairy intolerant people like myself  and it was not packed with sugar.

The cake came out just like I expected when I read the recipe. I don’t know about you, but when I read a recipe I often “taste” the dish before actually making it. The cake itself doesn’t overwhelm by its looks. It appears as a simple soft cake but as soon as you bite it you’re immediately captured by its citrus-almond texture, softness and the complexity of flavors. I couldn’t stop eating it and the funny thing is that every time I make it for friends or family the result is always the same. They all start with a small slice as they are uncertain by its appearance, but as soon as they taste it they keep asking for more. One evening two friends of mine liked it so much that after the fist few servings they asked me to hand them the knife. They kept cutting pieces of it until they finished it all. They were so embarrassed about it, but I was more than happy because they don’t usually like cakes that much.

Yesterday I decided to to bring my orange-lemon cake to the dinner party organized for the end of the school year. The moms loved it and they all want the recipe.

Orange-lemon cake

Ingredients:

1 medium organic orange
1 organic lemon
6 oz. raw peeled almonds
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. aluminum free baking powder
4 extra large eggs
½ tsp. sea salt
1 ½ cups raw cane sugar, granulated white sugar is also fine
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
powdered sugar for decoration

Preparation:

Wash the lemon and orange well, put them in a pan and cover with water. Don’t worry if the fruit will float it’s perfectly normal.
Cook them over medium-high heat until the water starts boiling, then reduce the heat and let the citrus simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and let them cool.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, and bake until they look golden brown and smell toasty, about 10 to 15 minutes (15′ in my oven). They really have to be toasted otherwise the cake won’t taste right. Set them aside to cool.
When the almonds are completely cool,  grind them in a food processor using the pulse function until they reach a sandy consistency. Set aside.
Heat up the oven to 350°F, and grease with the olive oil a 9-inch round springform pan.
When the citrus is cool, cut the orange in half and discard the seeds then cut the lemon in 2 parts, scoop out and discard its pulp and seeds.
Cut the orange (peel and pulp) and the lemon rind in big chunks, put them in the food processor and grind them until you almost reach a coarse paste consistency.
Beat the eggs with salt until foamy and light in color then gradually add the sugar. Whisk in the flour mixture.
Add the citrus paste, almonds, and olive oil, and beat at low speed until well combined but don’t overwork the batter.
Pour the cake batter into the springform pan, and bake for 50′ to 1 hour depending on the oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in its pan and then remove the rind. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes:
Let sit the cake for few hours before serving. It tastes even better the next day. To keep it soft wrap it with plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature.

I have a special affection to nutella because it reminds me of my childhood. I used to eat it spread on a soft slice of white bread just like in the picture on the label, but my favorite way was, and still is, to eat it directly from the jar. I know I Know I shouldn’t but it’s such a delight. I’m not able to resist nutella, when I see a jar of nutella my hand reaches out for the spoon and there’s nothing that can stop it from dipping into the chocolate. That’s exactly what happened when I prepared these mini croissants. I finished the rest of the jar slowly a little bit at the time and at the end of the day, to my surprise, it was magically gone as well as all the croissants.

These croissants are fast to prepare and can be an energetic breakfast or a mid afternoon snack for your kids. They’re easily ready in 20 minutes and they can also be eaten at room temperature if you’re able to resist. Mine  were gone before they could cool off.

Mini croissants with Nutella®

1 round or rectangular puff pastry sheet
Nutella
powder sugar (optional)

Yields: 12 croissants

Preparation:

Heat up the oven to 350°
Cut the puff pastry sheet in 12 wedges if round. Place a heaping teaspoon of nutella on the wider end of the wedge and roll it until you form a croissant. Pinch the ends of it and give it a crescent shape.
Place all the croissants on a baking sheet covered by oven paper and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Let them cool for 5 minutes, if you’re able to wait. Before serving them you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar too.

I know it’s not a refreshing dish with summer drawing near as this is baked in the oven, however feverfew herb is at the end of the season and I really wanted to share this recipe before it’s gone. Feverfew (Tanacetum Parthenium) in Italian “erba madre” or “erba maresina” is a perennial herb that grows wild in our surroundings. It’s mainly used for its medical properties to cure headache and fever but here in Veneto we use it for cooking. It is in fact used in fritters or cakes. I knew the fritters but I had never heard of the cake.

Last year at the Festa della sparasina, “The wild asparagus Festival” I discovered this cake and I definitely got addicted to it in a hurry. It was really a simple cake not overly sweet with an aromatic flavor thanks to the herb. With great surprise I found some plants of feverfew growing wild in my garden as well as in the neighbors’. I asked them if they could give me the recipe for the cake and they did. I tried it and a few others I had found but none resembled the cake I tasted at the Festa della sparasina.

One day I made a simple ciambella (ring-shaped cake) that my mom used to prepare for my sister and I when we were little. It was called il Ciambellone di Achille from il Manuale di Nonna Papera, my first cookbook. When I tasted it again after so many years I thought it could be the perfect base for the feverfew cake. I tried making the cake again this time adding feverfew and there it came out as I wanted it!
If you’re not lucky like me to have it in your garden you can always go herb hunting or purchase the seeds online. Please note: from what I read about this herb pregnant women shouldn’t eat it.

Feverfew cake

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3.5 oz. unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup finely chopped feverfew herb
1 tsp. grated lemon zest, better to use an organic lemon
1 tsp. double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Yields: 6 servings

Preparation:

To make this cake you don’t need any electrical appliances just a fork and a wooden spoon.
Sift the flour together with the sugar, salt and baking powder and grated lemon zest.

In a capacious bowl or on work surface make a mound with the flour and scoop out a well in the middle. Pour the eggs into the hole and start mixing with a fork. Now add the butter and combine it using a wooden spoon adding few spoons of milk to make the batter softer. I added 5 Tbsp. but it depends from your flour.
Lastly add feverfew herb and and combine well. Spoon the mixture into a greased and floured a 9 inch. ring-shaped cake tin. Spread the batter evenly using a spatula.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350° F. Cook for about 40 minutes then let it cool and serve.

I’m always searching, experimenting and trying new recipes or adapting classic ones for my three years old child. Since we became parents we decided to nurture him with healthy and quality food and our choice is with no doubt, certified organic products. In Italy is becoming more and more common to go organic, especially when you have children, and for a lot of us buying local is also an important issue.

As I said earlier I like to adapt classic recipes and this is one example. I wanted a good healthy snack not too sweet, but still tasty and so why not starting from the classic Banana bread recipe. You should know that banana bread is one of my favorite “cakes” ever and has a special meaning to me. It reminds me of the first time I went to the States and met my future in-laws. I was welcomed with a warm banana bread made by my sister in law Tracy. Since that encounter banana bread became a staple in my home and reminds me of that special moment. I don’t know about you but food is connected to many episodes of my life and eating certain dishes brings back all sorts of memories. So now you know why I love banana bread which I occasionally prepare following the classic recipe, but for an every day snack I prefer my child to eat a little bit lighter. The muffins I made here have the same consistency of a classic banana bread but are much lighter.

In this recipe I substituted all purpose flour with whole white spelt flour (whole kamut flour is also good), extra virgin olive oil and yogurt instead of butter. Sugar is not necessary due to the sweetness of the bananas, but if you prefer the muffins sweeter you can use honey, whole cane sugar or concentrated apple syrup. I like to add some walnuts to the batter and I highly recommend you to buy them with the shells. They have a completely different flavor when fresh. It will take you a little bit more of your time but it’s worth it. I opted for muffins instead of a loaf because muffins are easy to store and don’t get dry plus one is the right serving size for my little one. If you have too many you can always freeze them but it’s never my case.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole white spelt flour, whole kamut flour or all purpose flour
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. honey, whole cane sugar or concentrated apple syrup*
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts, 10 whole walnuts still in the shell
1/2 cup whole plain yogurt, low fat is good too
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F and place oven rack to middle position. Grease with olive oil a 12 cup muffin pan or two 6 cup pans.
Shell the walnuts, place them in a non stick pan and toast them lightly at medium heat. About 10 minutes and then chop them coarsely.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Mash the bananas and set them aside.
In an other bowl whisk the eggs lightly with honey then add 1 cup of flour and mix until well combined. Add the yogurt, the other cup of flour and the oil.
Fold in the bananas and then the walnuts.
Scrape the batter in the muffin pan and cook for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note:
* These muffins are not overly sweet, if you prefer them sweeter double or triple the dose.

In December stores are buried with goodies of every kind either you have a precise idea of what to buy or you’ll get lost in them for hours, picking, choosing and changing your mind about a hundred times. There’s one thing that all the Italians will buy and that is pandoro or panettone, our Italian Christmas cakes. They’re mostly industrially produced but still using simple and natural ingredients and artisan methods.

Pandoro is a specialty from Verona, my hometown. It’s a natural leavened cake, simply made with natural yeast, flour, eggs and butter. It takes up to 50-60 hours to become a pandoro and when ready is about 8 inch. high and shaped into a star, a homage to Christmas. You can sprinkle it with some vanilla scented powder sugar and serve it with cream. I also love to eat it plain to savor it better to smell its vanilla and sugar scent to be lost in its buttery flavor and softness. My forbidden dream is to dip it in cold milk and don’t say anything before you try, it’s really good but I allow myself to have it once a year because this is a rich cake.

Panettone comes from Milan has a round shaped compared to pandoro and is a tall cake. It has a soft consistency typical of natural natural leavened cakes. It is enriched with raisins and candied fruit. New generations seem not to like candied fruit that much so there are now new versions without them. Actually there are so many new varieties right now that is impossible to get to know them all. You can find both panettone and pandoro filled with creams or chocolate chips, covered with chocolate, topped with toasted almonds or hazelnuts, every year a new kind comes out. I still prefer to serve the classic pandoro or  panettone with home-made creams.

The classic creams to serve pandoro or panettone are zabione and mascarpone cream.

Today I experimented a new cream using mascarpone cheese as the base for my sauce flavored by orange juice and orange liquor. It came out pretty good and the more I taste it the more I like it. Flavors are still blending in which means that the cream can be prepared hours ahead even the night before. Here’s how I made it:

Pandoro with orange mascarpone cream

1 Pandoro (if you don’t find pandoro you can use Panettone)
2 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cups condensed milk
6 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. orange liquor I used Cointreau*
1/2 tsp. grated orange zest (use an organic orange)
2-3 oranges peeled with the “white” inner part of the skin removed then cut in pieces

Preparation:

Beat the condensed milk with the orange juice, peel and orange liquor. In an other bowl whisk the mascarpone cheese until creamy (don’t use electric blender). Whisk the orange mixture in the mascarpone, mix until well combined and refrigerate.
When ready to serve slice the pandoro top to bottom, gently whisk the cream and add it to the pandoro, top it with pieces of orange. Enjoy!

* If you don’t want to use liquor just substitute it with more orange juice.

Last night I had friends over for dinner and I prepared a typical meal from Calabria, the region where I often go on vacation. The menu was as follows: fried eggplants balls, pasta with ‘nduja, Pecorino cheese and onion marmalade, but up until the last minute I didn’t know what to prepare for dessert. I was thinking about some sort of dessert with ricotta I would have like to make Cassata alla siciliana but I didn’t want to work too much and also use the oven in this hot weather.  Then I had an idea to prepare only the Cassata filling and serve it in glass cups. I thought that it could be a great alternative, much faster than the classic recipe and less complicated even if the ingredients are the same except for the Pan di Spagna, sponge cake, the glaze and the almond paste. I’m usually against modifying original recipes but in this case I was just using the filling. If you want to see the real Cassata alla Siciliana check out this video.

The dessert came out really good, my guests appreciated it too and I think you should also give it a try. Remember the ingredients have to be extremely fresh especially the ricotta and of course the candied fruits, better if you find the whole fruit ones.

Cassata alla siciliana to go

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh sheep’s milk ricotta if you don’t find it use the regular one
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla pod
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely cubed mixed candied fruit (orange, candied squash called “zuccata”, cedar etc.)
2 Tbsp. peeled and coarsely chopped pistachios
1/4 tsp. orange flowers water

In a small pan melt the sugar at low temperature with water and the vanilla. When ready eliminate the vanilla pod. In the meantime pass the ricotta through a fine vegetable ricer twice and put it in a bowl. With a wire whisk combine the ricotta with the sugar syrup until fluffy. Blanch the pistachios in hot water, then peel them and chop them. Add the rest of the ingredients to the ricotta cream and mix well.  Arrange the cream in each glass and decorate with the candied fruits, chocholate chips and pistachios. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours. This dessert can also be served the day after.

I haven’t disappeared but I’m trying to survive through this hot Italian summer, the temperature is around 100° F almost every day so it’s really difficult, at least for me, to think about cooking. The other day was my mom’s birthday and I kept thinking about a birthday cake to prepare for her. The thought of using the oven made me almost surrender but then I found a compromise and prepared this wonderful Mango and Banana Cream Pie. I had to use the oven in the end but only for 7 minutes and it was surely worth it. I took the recipe from one of my favorite books called “The New Moosewood Cookbook“. I made some changes to the original recipe but left the basics.

It’s an easy and quick dessert to prepare a refreshing mix of tropical fruits and spice. The tangy and sweet lime cream blends well with the mango and banana and the ginger gives that extra touch that makes this dessert absolutely irresistible. When you decide to prepare it take into consideration that it needs to be chilled few hours before serving. I ate the left over pie the day after and I can assure you that the dessert was still marvelous. Here’s the recipe:

Mango and Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Fort the crust:
2 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup finely minced walnuts
1 tsp. dry ginger powder
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

For the filling:
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. grated lime zest (about 3 limes)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/2 ripe mango peeled and thinly sliced
2 bananas peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Blend the crackers and the walnuts in a food processor (if you don’t have one crush them with a rolling pin). Combine them with the melted butter and firmly press the preparation into the base and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Place the extra mixture in an other pan and place them both in the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Let the crust cool completely.

In a bowl add the condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice and whisk for few minutes until the lime cream thickens.

Layer the mango and banana slices alternating them in the pie crust. Spread the cream of lime over the fruit and sprinkle the top with the remaining crumbs. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours and serve cold.

My family loved it but they couldn’t guess all the ingredients especially the ones used for the cream of  lime even if they’re so simple. Next time I want to try to prepare the pie with a whole mango and only one banana to change its taste a bit.