Breakfast of Umbrians

Slice and slice until it's gone

This is a multi-purpose cake that all my neighbors make once or twice every week.  They eat it with a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the afternoon, they keep it in case someone drops by, and they eat it for breakfast, with or without jam,  in place of the ever-popular croissant or pastry.

Fresh from the oven

If it starts to dry out, which it does because it is stored with only a clean napkin or kitchen towel to keep flies off it, they dip it into sweet wine, like vin santo or into whatever liquor they’re drinking.  You can dress it up with fruits or sauces.  You can toast it.  You can crumble it and use it as the base for a pudding kind of dessert.

I made this because although it is ubiquitous where I live, I had never made it before.  I guess I figured that since I could knock on any door and ask for a piece and get it 75% of the time, it wasn’t worth bothering to make my own.  To me it tastes a lot like cornbread.  To an Umbrian, it tastes like home.

I had a recipe my neighbor, Paola, had given me to share with someone who requested it.  I decided to use that recipe.  It’s a good thing I did, because the liquid amounts were all wrong and needed to be doubled.  That’s one of the problems when measurements are given in “wineglasses” and “espresso cups”.  Below is the altered recipe which works.

Torcolo di Umbria

preheat the oven to 180° C or 355° F

Butter and flour a ring shaped cake pan (you need the center hole for this heavy dough.)

• 300 g (1.5 cups) flour
• 200 g (1 cup) sugar
• 1.5  cucchiaini (teaspoons) baking powder
• pinch of salt
• the grated rind of one lemon
• 3 eggs, separated
• 156 ml (2/3 cup) milk156 ml (2/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

Measure all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix.

In a different bowl, beat the eggwhites until they form soft peaks.

To the bowl of dry ingredients add the oil, the milk and the egg yolks, beating well with an electric mixer or a whisk until completely blended and light.  Using a whisk, fold the egg whites into the batter.  Scrape the batter into the prepared ring shaped pan.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Check for dcneness with a toothpick stuck into the cake.  When it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Cool on a rack about 10 minutes, then gently remove from the pan and continue to cool it right side up.

I sliced this when it was still warm and delievered it around to my Umbrian neighbors.  It was pronounced good. Try it some easy day and see what you think.  Cakes just don’t get much easier and more useful than this.  And please, tell me how yours tasted to you.