Pan di Spagna
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Loading...Pan di Spagna (very similar to “Sponge Cake”) indicates a recipe that is a great classic of Italian Cooking: a soft and delicate preparation that lends itself perfectly to the preparation of "Layer Cakes". It is super simple, made only with flour, sugar and eggs, without yeast or butter. The eggs must be worked for a long time (fortunately today we have a planetary mixer or electric whisk), so that they become swollen and foamy and make the cake grow perfectly Pan di Spagna can be used for cakes, but it can also be sliced into canapes to be filled with creams, jams or chocolate. I also love to eat it on its own, as it is, dipped in a little Marsala Dry Wine: deliciously simple!
Ingredients
- Eggs 5 (big at room temperature)
- Plain 00 Flour 75 g
- Potato Starch 75 g
- White Sugar 150 g
- Vanilla Bean 1
- Salt 1 Pinch
Instructions
Break the eggs, which must be at room temperature, in the bowl of the planetary mixer (you can also use the electric whisk) and add the seeds of the vanilla bean and a pinch of salt
Operate the planetary mixer at medium speed and incorporate the sugar one tablespoon at a time, adding the next one only after the sugar has completely blended into the mixture
Knead for at least 15-20 minutes, until the mixture is very swollen, fluffy and of a nice pale yellow. The mixture must "write": by letting a part slip on the surface it should not join the rest but create a clearly distinguishable thread
In the meantime, grease well a hinged mold of cm. 22 and sprinkle it with a little flour, eliminating the one that does not stick to the walls
Add the flour to the starch, sift and add them to the mixture. Mix very gently with a spatula from the outside to the inside in order not to deflate the mixture. Very important: check that the flour (which is heavy and tends to settle to the bottom) is completely incorporated, also mixing well from bottom to top
Pour the mixture into the mold, level it but do not beat the mold to prevent the mixture from falling apart
Bake and cook for 45 minutes without ever opening the oven. Check the cooking with a toothpick: skewer the center of the cake and remove it to check that it is perfectly dry. At the end of cooking, the Pan di Spagna should appear golden on the surface and with the edges slightly detached from the mold because the mixture tends to shrink during cooking
Let it cool for a few minutes and unmold
For the layer cake you see in the photo, I cut the Pan di Spagna into 3 layers. I brushed them abundantly with a syrup obtained with 20 g of sugar, 30 cl of water and 30 cl of cognac. I stuffed them with custard and strawberries. Finally I decorated the cake with whipped cream and other strawberries
Notes
Pan di Spagna, despite of its name, is 100% Italian but honors Spain because it was invented in XVIII Century by Giovan Battista Cabona, a famous Genoese chef, and served it for the first time at the court of the King of Spain. It was a great success because, due to its lightness and softness, it was completely different from the voluptuous, messy and exaggeratedly rich desserts typical of the cuisine of the time, but equally delicious! In other words, Pan di Spagna is not a real dessert but something like a "base" on which to build delicious and unforgettable desserts. In fact you can find it in the Sicilian “Cassata”, in the “Charlotte” or in the “Mimosa”: very different but always yummy
ItalianCookingTips
The eggs must be whipped to perfection: with my Kitchen Aid, I use the whisk for 18 minutes at speed 6.
However, check that the dough “writes”: dropping it on the surface must not join the rest but create a clearly distinguishable thread
ItalianCookingTips
If the Pan di Spagna crumbles when cut, it means that you have whipped the eggs too much. If, on the other hand, it does not rise during cooking, it means that the eggs have been whipped too little
ItalianCookingTips
If you need to fill your Pan di Spagna, cut it when it is slightly warm with a long saw knife like the one for bread
ItalianCookigTips
Before filling Pan di Spagna “wet” it with a sugar syrup, cognac or orange juice. Stuffed well in advance (even the day before) so that the cake will be even more tasty
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