Schiacciata fiorentina

Schiacciata fiorentina is a typical dessert of the Florentine Carnival, known for its softness and orange aroma. Here is the recipe to prepare this traditional cake:

Ingredients

• 300 g of 00 flour
• 200 g of sugar
• 100 g of softened butter
• 4 eggs
• The grated zest of one orange
• The juice of one orange
• 1 packet of vanillin
• 1 packet of baking powder
• Powdered sugar as needed for dusting
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, continuing to beat with an electric mixer or a manual whisk.
3. Add the grated orange zest and juice to the mixture and stir well.
4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and vanillin, then incorporate them into the egg, sugar, and butter mixture, stirring gently to avoid deflating it.
5. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, then fold them into the mixture using a spatula and gentle bottom-to-top motions to maintain aeration.
6. Pour the batter into a square or rectangular pan previously buttered and floured or lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes. The Schiacciata is ready when golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let the Schiacciata cool, then dust it generously with powdered sugar.

After the Schiacciata fiorentina has cooled, it is traditionally decorated with powdered sugar to highlight the Florentine lily emblem, the symbol of the city. To do this, cut the shape from cardboard, place it on the cake, dust with powdered sugar, then carefully remove the cardboard and admire the result.

Trivia

Schiacciata fiorentina stands out from other schiacciate for its fluffiness and characteristic orange flavor. Contrary to what the name might suggest, this is not a flat preparation but a tall, soft cake, whose “flattening” lies in the manual pressure applied to spread the batter in the pan.