Zuccotto (Layered Italian Cake)
Sunday, April 24th
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Join Gloria in her kitchen, centrally located in the heart of Florence, and learn how to make the oldest dessert in Florence - “Zuccotto”! Bernardo Buontalenti, who is also credited as the inventor of gelato, created this spongy and creamy layered cake for one of the Medici family’s banquets. See for yourself how unique and delicious this cake is!
Please be mindful of the time of the class you sign up for and your own time zone. After registration, you will receive a link to the Zoom online meeting session we will use.
Ingredients & Preparation
Have your ingredients pre-measured and prepped before the class for a more seamless experience.
If you do not have certain ingredients, our chefs will do their best to suggest substitutions.
Before class:
Please have your sponge cake ready for class. You can either buy a sponge cake or make your own using Gloria’s recipe below.
Gloria’s Sponge Cake:
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
4 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
7 tablespoons sugar
To make: Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease and flour a 17-inch x 11-inch baking pan or a 9-inch round baking pan. In a bowl, mix together flour and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, add the eggs and egg yolks. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks briefly and then beat in sugar at a high speed for 5 minutes. Next, gently add the flour mixture little by little to the egg and sugar mixture. Pour the batter into the greased and floured baking pan and bake for about 7 minutes, or until it is just firm and beginning to brown. Let cool completely before using.
Zuccotto Cake
Makes 1 cake
1/2 pound sponge cake (Store-bought or homemade. See recipe above to make your own.)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
5 ounces (approximately 1 1/4 cups) powdered sugar
1 pound ricotta cheese
Vanilla extract (Gloria’s powdered sugar in Italy already contains vanilla flavoring, so she will not add vanilla.)
2 ounces mixed candied fruit, diced
2 ounces diced dark chocolate
1 ounce (approximately 3 3/4 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups rum or cherry liqueur (or better, a combination of the two)
Alcohol-free version: 2 cups milk with some granulated sugar
Equipment
Certain commonly used kitchen tools are not listed here, such as cutlery, dishes, etc. Any additional equipment is listed here.
1 bowl about 7 ½ inches in diameter by about 3 ½ inches deep
Mixing bowls
Cutting board and knife
Electric mixer/whisk to whip the cream
Rubber spatulas
General Steps
Whip cream and then create ricotta mixture.
Create two fillings with candied fruit and chocolate.
Cut up sponge cake and cover bowl .
Add fillings to the bowl and cover with additional sponge cake.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
Check out more classes with Gloria in Tuscany!
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