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Torta Donizetti

17/11/2023

The Torta Donizetti is a dessert typical of the city of Bergamo, dedicated to the famous composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a layered cake consisting of sponge cake, pastry cream, and a marzipan topping, often enriched with almonds. Here’s how the recipe is composed:

Ingredients

  • For the sponge cake:

    • 4 eggs
    • 120 g of sugar
    • 120 g of 00 flour
    • The grated zest of 1 lemon
    • A pinch of salt

  • For the pastry cream:

    • 4 egg yolks
    • 100 g of sugar
    • 40 g of 00 flour
    • 500 ml of milk
    • The zest of 1 lemon

  • For the topping:

    • 200 g of marzipan
    • 30 g of peeled almonds
    • Icing sugar for decoration

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the sponge cake: whisk the eggs with the sugar and lemon zest until the mixture becomes frothy and pale. Add the sifted flour and a pinch of salt and gently fold it in with movements from the bottom up to avoid deflating the mixture.

  2. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured cake tin and bake at 180 °C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the sponge cake comes out clean. Let it cool completely.

  3. For the pastry cream, mix the yolks with the sugar in a bowl until you get a light and frothy mixture. Add the sifted flour. Heat the milk in a saucepan with the lemon zest and, once warm, remove the zest and pour the milk in a thin stream over the yolk mixture, continuing to stir.

  4. Transfer everything to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens. Transfer the cream to a bowl and cover it with cling film in contact, to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool.

  5. Cut the sponge cake horizontally in half and spread with the now-cold pastry cream.

  6. Roll out the marzipan to create a disc of the same size as the cake and gently place it on top of the cream.

  7. Decorate with the peeled and toasted almonds and a dusting of icing sugar.

Curiosity

The Torta Donizetti is often decorated with musical notes or the facade of the Donizetti Theater in Bergamo, to pay homage to the composer it is named after. Serve it as the conclusion to a special meal to surprise your guests with a touch of sweetness and a story of Italian culture.

Torta Donizetti