Chocolate Margherita Cake

The Margherita Cake is a classic Italian dessert, simple and delicious. The chocolate variant is perfect for those who love more intense and rich flavors.

Ingredients

• 200 g of sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 200 g of 00 flour
• 50 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 100 g of melted butter (or seed oil for a lighter version)
• A packet of baking powder (about 16 g)
• A pinch of salt
• Icing sugar for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Separate the yolks from the egg whites and whip the yolks with the sugar until you get a light and frothy mixture.
3. Slowly add the melted butter (or oil) and continue to beat until it is well combined.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder, then gently fold them into the egg and sugar mixture using a spatula, taking care not to deflate it.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and gently fold them into the mixture with upward and downward movements to avoid deflating them.
6. Pour the batter into a greased and floured cake tin or lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool before unmolding, and if you like, dust it with icing sugar before serving.

The Chocolate Margherita Cake is very versatile: you can serve it plain or fill it with chocolate ganache, pastry cream, or jam. It’s a dessert that adapts well to being embellished according to personal tastes.

Curiosity

The Margherita Cake is perhaps named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, who is also the namesake of the famous type of pizza. It is said to have been one of the queen’s favorite desserts.