The ciambella rustica is a simple country ring cake made throughout Italy. It tends to be quite dry and so is often accompanied by a glass of white wine.
The classic ciambella, like the crostata or the torta di frutta, is a simple country cake for which every grandmother in Italy has her own recipe. As a child, when visiting his grandmother’s, Mario Matassa would always run to the sideboard to see what was in store for his mid-afternoon snack. This classic ciambella was always a firm favourite.
Ciambella is sometimes called torte di credenza (sideboard cakes), because they are dry cakes made without cream and therefore keep well without refrigeration. However, because of this dryness, adults tend to accompany a slice with a glass of white wine.
Nonna’s Classic Ciambella | Ciambella della Nonna
➤ MAKES: One 26-cm ring cake
➤ PREPARATION: 10 minutes
➤ COOKING: 40-45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 400g self-raising flour
- 180g caster sugar
- 160g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 medium free-range eggs
- 150ml tepid milk
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together well.
- Grease and dust a ring-shaped baking tin with flour, then pour in the cake mix. If you wish, you can decorate the top of the cake with sugar sprinkles or chocolate drops; simply sprinkle these on top of the cake before baking.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until cooked.
For more sweet treats, try these Italian dolci recipes
Recipe by Mario Matassa