Il Cucinologo
EN

Piumino Cake

17/11/2023

I can provide you with the recipe for the “Piumino Cake”, a soft and light dessert that wins you over with its soft consistency. Here are the ingredients and preparation:

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 150 g of sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • The grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 100 g of 00 flour
  • 50 g of potato starch
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

For the cream:

  • 250 ml of whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 1 packet of vanillin or vanilla extract to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
  2. Separate the yolks from the whites. In a bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until you obtain a light and frothy mixture.
  3. Add the grated lemon zest to the yolk mixture.
  4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt.
  5. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture, using a spatula and bottom-to-top movements to avoid deflating the batter.
  6. Sift the flour, potato starch, and baking powder, then gently incorporate them into the batter.
  7. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured cake pan, level the surface well, and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.
  9. Meanwhile, whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanillin until firm.
  10. Once the cake is cold, slice it horizontally into two layers. Fill with some of the whipped cream and cover with the second cake layer.
  11. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake.
  12. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Fun Fact

This cake is called “piumino” for its incredible lightness, similar to that of a duvet. It is perfect as a dessert after a meal or to accompany afternoon tea. It can be enriched with additions like chocolate chips in the batter or decorated with fresh fruit for a touch of color and freshness.

Remember that delicacy in mixing the ingredients is the secret to maintaining the air in the batter and achieving the classic “feathery” texture of the cake. Happy baking and enjoy!