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Schiacciata alla fiorentina
Orange Carnival sponge cake
Schiacciata alla fiorentina: Florence's soft orange Carnival sponge with a cocoa lily
During Carnival every bakery in Florence sells schiacciata alla fiorentina: a low, soft, orange-scented sponge, baked in a rectangular tin and covered with icing sugar with the Florentine lily (the giglio) stencilled in cocoa on top. Florentines eat it for breakfast with a cappuccino or as an afternoon snack, plain or split and filled with cream. The original was a rich yeasted bread with lard; today almost everyone makes this simple, quick version. Chef's tip: keep the cake low, about 3 cm; it is meant to be a thin, moist sponge, not a tall cake.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 9 oz plain flour
- 6 ½ oz caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 orangezest and 60 ml juice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ⅜ oz icing sugarfor dusting
- 1 tbsp cocoa powderfor the lily
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Grease and line a 30 × 20 cm baking tin.
Step 2: Whisk 3 eggs and 6 ½ oz caster sugar for 5 minutes, until pale and thick. Whisk in ½ cup sunflower oil, ½ cup whole milk, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5 minStep 3: Fold in 9 oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt until just smooth. Common mistake: overmixing; it knocks out the air and makes the cake tough.
Step 4: Pour into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
30 minStep 5: Cool completely in the tin, then turn out. Dust thickly with 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar.
Step 6: Cut a lily shape out of card, lay it in the middle and dust over with 1 tbsp cocoa powder. Lift the stencil off carefully. Cut into squares.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does schiacciata alla fiorentina take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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