This delicious old-world cake, or ciambella, I once learned to make from Mufalda (Muffie) Maiolini, who was from the Piedmont region in Northern Italy. Muffie could not tell me the amounts of the ingredients she was using, so I had to watch her and measure everything. In her mind, there was no question about the amounts she used. She created through instinct and intuition. This Italian coffee cake is excellent with a cup of tea or coffee or a simple glass of red wine for dipping.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ pound (1 stick) of butter, cut into small pieces
- 4 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
- 1½ ounces whiskey
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup jam or mincemeat
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 15-inch pizza pan or flat pan with sides. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work the pieces of butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until granular in texture.
Turn the mixture onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Put the eggs, raisins, whiskey, lemon extract, vanilla, and milk in the center. Combine the liquid mixture with the flour with a fork or your fingertips until the ingredients are well incorporated, and you can form a ball. Do not knead.
Cut the dough in half. Roll it into two 2-foot-long rolls about 2½ inches in diameter.
Place one roll in the pan, making a large ring, and seal the ends together. Make small indentations in the dough with your fingers and fill each with jam or mincemeat.
Place the second ring on top of the first.
Beat the egg with the milk and brush the rings with the mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test if it’s cooked through with a knife.
Makes one bread and serves 8.
