Orange and Chocolate Ring Cake
The essential oils of Sicilian citrus fruit, expressed through fragrance, mark the seasons.
They burst forth when fingertips peel back the skin or a knife blade cuts into it.
The lemon flowers in all four seasons, but verdello means summer.
With oranges, the blond variety arrives in late autumn, giving way in winter to the blood-red Tarocco, my favourite.
Mandarins once decorated the Nativity scene when it was humble. The nuns at my aunts’ convent still use them this way.
Citrus peel has an immeasurable, almost mystical value and countless virtues. Used widely in sweet and savoury cooking, it lends unmistakably Mediterranean notes.
Using citrus peel means being certain it has not been treated, or all its benefits will be lost.
In winter, we gladly turn on the oven. The citrus fragrance suddenly filling the kitchen lifts the spirits, and chocolate is an essential indulgence. Soft wheat, as its very name suggests, asks us to return that tenderness as the softness of a cake everyone can afford, yet which takes on a new standing when made with outstanding ingredients.
what’s
needed.
Metod:
Step by step
Place the eggs and finely grated orange zest in a stand mixer bowl. Add the sugar and mix at moderate speed for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add them.
Melt the butter in a bain-marie and allow to cool.
Add the flour to the egg and sugar mixture a few spoonfuls at a time, alternating with the milk and butter so the mixture remains soft.
Add the cocoa powder and baking powder last.
Chop the chocolate into shavings with a knife. Remove the mixer bowl and stir in this final ingredient with a spoon.
Butter and flour the cake tin, slowly pour in the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes.
FEDERICA’S TIPS
Rub the finely grated orange zest into the sugar before mixing to release its fragrant oils. Chop the chocolate into small, even pieces and fold it in gently so every slice has a little chocolate without weighing down the batter.
― storage and serving ―