Authentic Italian Desserts

Authentic Italian Desserts: 75 Traditional Favourites Made Easy is written by Rosemary Molloy, author of the food blog, An Italian in My Kitchen. Rosemary is from Toronto, Canada and has been living in Rome with her husband for the past 25 years. She has embraced the Italian culture and shares her passion for Italian baking in her debut cookbook.

She includes recipes for favourites such as Pan de Spagna (Sponge Cake), Cantucci alle Mandorle (Almond Biscotti), Ciambelline al Vino (Wine Cookies), Crostata Classica alla Marmellata (Classic Jam Pie), Torta di Mele (Apple Cake) as well as seasonal and regional recipes.

Introduction

Chapters and Sample Recipes

The recipes are well-written and easy to follow with the ingredients listed on the left and baking instructions on the right. Measurements are listed in decimal and metric, and titles are listed in Italian and English. Colour photography throughout the cookbook is stunning.

Dolci del Mattino (Breakfast Sweets)

Ciambella del Mattino (Morning Bundt Cake)
Biscotti della Prima Colazione (Italian Breakfast Cookies)
Pan Gocciolo (Chocolate Chip Buns)

Torte (Cakes)

Torta di Pere (Pear Cake)
Torta Paradiso (Paradise Cake)
Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)
Pan di Spagna (Sponge Cake)

Biscotti (Cookies)

Cantucci alle Mandorle (Almond Biscotti)
Ciambelline al Vino (Wine Cookies)
Brutti ma Buoni (Ugly but Good Cookies)

Crostate (Pies and Tarts)

Crostata alla Marmellata (Classic Jam Pie)
Crostata alle Mandorle (Almond Pie)
Crostatine al Doppio Cioccolato (Double Chocolate Tarts)

Plumcake e Brioche

Plumcake al Cioccolato e Coco (Chocolate and Coconut Sweet Bread)
Plumcake con Yogurt al Limone (Lemon Yogurt Sweet Bread)
Brioche Facile e Soffice (Easy and Soft Brioche)

Pasticcini (Pastries)

Ciambelle (Doughnuts)
Mille Folgie con Crema all’Arancia (Puff Pastry with Orange Pastry Cream)
Meringa Italian (Italian Meringue)

Le Freschezze (Chilled)

Budino al Cioccolato (Italian Chocolate Pudding)
Crema di Limoncello (Lemon Cream Liqueur)
Gelato al Melone (Cantaloupe Gelato)

Di Stagione (Seasonal)

Bigne di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph Cream Puffs)
Chiacchiere de Carnevale Fritte (Fried Fritters)
Croccante alle Mandorle (Almond Crunch)

Regioni (Regional)

Sicily: Cannoli Fritti (Fried Cannoli)
Lazio: Castagnole alla Ricotta (Ricotta Sweet Balls)
Capri Island: Torta Caprese (Capri Cake)

In My Kitchen

I made the Ciambella del Mattino (Morning Bundt Cake) to have for breakfast with my coffee. It’s simple to make, tastes delicious, and I enjoyed every crumb of every slice without any guilt.

Did you know that Plumcake does not contain any plums? Rosemary describes it as being between a pound cake and a sweet loaf. I used plain yogurt for Plumcake con Yogurt al Limone (Lemon Yogurt Sweet Bread) and it still had a nice lemony flavour. It’s not too sweet and can be served for breakfast or for a snack, glazed or unglazed.

Torta di Mele (Apple Cake) Recipe (Page 48)

My Sicilian mother was not a baker, but she loved apple cake so much that she learned how to make it. That was the only cake I remember her making and it was delicious. It’s also the first cake I learned how to make from scratch. It seems that every Italian baker has a Torta di Mele recipe in their baking repertoire and in addition to my mother’s apple cake recipe, this one has been added to mine. Filled with chopped apples and flavoured with cinnamon, it’s was so good that I also ate it for breakfast.

Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)

Rosemary Malloy

Of all the Italian cakes, this is probably the one everyone makes. My husband calls

it the mother of all Italian cakes. Once fall hits, this is the cake of the moment. I

love it made with Golden Delicious apples and served with a cup of tea.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 1 8-9 inch (20- or 23-cm) cake

Ingredients

1 3/4 (175 g) all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp (6 g) baking powder
3 medium apples
juice of 1 lemon divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup + 1 tbsp (204 g) granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (86 g) butter, softened
3/4 cup` + 1 tbsp (195 ml) 2% milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C), then grease and flour an 8- or 9-inch (20- or
23-cm) cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
Peel the apples, then chop 2 apples into bite-size cubes and put them in a small
bowl. Toss the apple cubes with two-thirds of the lemon juice and two-thirds of
the cinnamon.
Thinly slice the remaining apple and put the slices in another small bowl. Toss the
apple slices with the remaining one-third lemon juice and the remaining one-third cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff , 2 to 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1 cup (192 g) of the sugar on medium
speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and beat for 2 minutes.
Beat in the milk and add the flour a little at a time, beating between each addition,
until completely combined.
Fold in the egg whites and when the mixture is well
combined, fold in the chopped apples. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan,
top the batter with the sliced apples, brush the apples with a little additional milk
and sprinkle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon (12 g) of sugar.
Bake the cake
for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool before serving.

Keyword apple cake

If you like Italian desserts, you must add Authentic Italian Desserts to your cookbook collection. The recipes reflect traditional Italian rustic recipes that are delicious and easy to make. Having been raised in an Italian household, I am familiar with quite a few recipes in the this cookbook, but since Italian desserts differ from region to region, I discovered many more recipes that I am looking forward to bake.

Acknowledgement

Reprinted with permission from Authentic Italian Desserts by Rosemary Molloy, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo credit: Rosemary Molloy.

Disclaimer

The Authentic Italian Desserts cookbook was sent to me by Page Street Publishing Co. for review. The opinions are my own. As an Amazon affiliate I receive a small fee whenever you purchase products though links listed in this post. This will not affect the amount of the item. I only include links to products that would benefit my readers.