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Torta di colomba

17/11/2023

The colomba cake is a variant of the traditional Italian sweet that is prepared to celebrate Easter. Remember that this recipe requires quite long leavening times, so it requires planning!

Ingredients

For the biga dough:

  • 100 g of strong flour (with high gluten content)
  • 50 ml of lukewarm water
  • 6 g of fresh yeast

For the first dough:

  • All the biga prepared previously
  • 90 g of granulated sugar
  • 130 ml of lukewarm water
  • 1 whole egg and 2 yolks
  • 100 g of strong flour

For the second dough:

  • 60 g of granulated sugar
  • 80 g of butter at room temperature
  • 20 ml of lukewarm water
  • 2 egg yolks
  • A pinch of salt
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • 250 g of strong flour
  • 1/2 vanilla pod (or vanilla essence)
  • 80 g of mixed candied fruits (orange and citron)

For the glaze:

  • 100 g of peeled almonds
  • 100 g of powdered sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • Whole almonds (for decorating)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the biga by mixing the flour, water, and crumbled yeast, mix and let it rest covered with a cloth in a warm place for at least 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume.

  2. For the first dough, add sugar, water, the whole egg, and the yolks to the biga, and 100 g of flour. Work everything until a homogeneous dough is obtained and let it rest, again covered, for another 2-3 hours.

  3. For the second dough, add the remaining sugar, soft butter, water, yolks, a pinch of salt, lemon and orange zests, flour, vanilla, and candied fruits to the first dough. Work well until the dough is elastic and smooth. Form a ball, place it in a dove-shaped mold, and let it rise until doubled (about 3-6 hours).

  4. Prepare the glaze by blending the peeled almonds with the powdered sugar and adding the egg white to obtain a spreadable mixture. Spread the glaze on the leavened colomba and decorate with whole almonds.

  5. Bake the colomba in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40-50 minutes, until it turns golden. Before taking it out of the oven, perform the skewer test to check the internal cooking.

  6. Remove the colomba from the oven and let it cool completely before serving.

Curiosity

The Easter colomba is a dessert rich in symbolic meanings: the dove shape represents peace and the presence of leaven reminds us of the concept of rebirth and renewal typical of the Easter holiday.

Enjoy your preparation and tasting!

Torta di colomba