Ligurianlemoncake Recipes

LIGURIAN LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Make the lemon cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Butter a 10-inch round cake or springform pan, dust with flour, and tap out any excess.
• In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder; set aside.
• Place sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer; rub the ingredients together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and has absorbed as much of the zest as possible. Return bowl to mixer.
• Using the whisk attachment, beat in eggs on medium high until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on lowest speed, beat in milk. Add reserved flour mixture; beat until incorporated. Add lemon juice, melted butter, and olive oil; beat until blended.
• Pour about one third of the batter into the prepared pan; there should be just enough batter to form a thin, even layer. Arrange the raspberries on top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the raspberries, and use a rubber spatula to gently spread batter so that it runs down between the berries and just covers them (you'll have a very thin top layer of batter).
• Bake cake until it's golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 33 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately unmold it onto a wire rack. Invert cake so it is right side up, and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, the cake is ready to serve or to decorate with meringue.
• Make the meringue and assemble the dessert: Preheat oven to 475 degrees with rack in the center. Place the cooled cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and set aside.
• In the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg white until it holds soft peaks. Add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream; continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form.
• Using a metal icing spatula or a spoon, immediately spread the meringue over the top of the reserved cake. Dust the meringue with confectioners' sugar.
• Bake the cake until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Garnish the cake with the mixed berries, if desired, and serve.

LIGURIAN LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 10-inch round cake or springform pan, dust with flour, and tap out any excess.
• In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder; set aside.
• Place sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer; rub the ingredients together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy, and has absorbed as much of the zest as possible. Return bowl to mixer.
• Using the whisk attachment, beat in eggs on medium high until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on lowest speed, beat in milk. Add reserved flour mixture; beat until incorporated. Add lemon juice, melted butter, and olive oil; beat until blended.
• Pour about one third of the batter into the prepared pan; there should be just enough batter to form a thin, even layer. Arrange the raspberries on top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the raspberries, and use a rubber spatula to gently spread batter so that it runs down between the berries and just covers them (you'll have a very thin top layer of batter).
• Bake cake until it's golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
• Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing the cake ring.

BRAISED LIGURIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add chicken pieces and toss until evenly coated.
• Place a large saute pan or heat-proof casserole over medium-high heat.
• Add olive oil.
• When oil is hot, add chicken pieces and saute until browned.
• Turn chicken and add rosemary and garlic.
• Continue to saute until garlic is softened, about three minutes.
• Add wine.
• When wine comes to a boil, add anchovies, olives and tomatoes.
• Partly cover pan and lower heat to medium low.
• Simmer until chicken is cooked and broth is reduced to a sauce, about 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the size of your chicken pieces.
• To serve, discard rosemary sprigs and season dish well with salt and pepper.

MARBLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.
• In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.
• Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
• Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.