Grandma Pina's Ciambellone

Grandma Pina’s Ciambellone is a classic cake from the Italian home cooking tradition. It’s a simple cake, ideal for breakfast or a sweet afternoon break. Here is the recipe with a touch of Italian flair that will surely enrich your dessert.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 300 g of sugar
• 300 g of flour
• 100 ml of sunflower seed oil (or alternatively, extra virgin olive oil for a richer taste)
• 100 ml of milk
• The grated zest of 1 (untreated) lemon
• 1 packet of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• Butter and flour as needed to butter and flour the cake mold

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add the oil in a stream, continuing to stir, and then alternately the sifted flour with the baking powder and the milk.
4. Incorporate the grated lemon zest and a pinch of salt, mixing well all the ingredients.
5. Butter and flour a ciambellone mold, then pour the batter into the mold.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the ciambellone comes out clean.
7. Let the ciambellone cool before turning it out onto a serving plate.

To check the ciambellone for doneness, you can do the toothpick test: insert it into the cake, if it comes out dry, the ciambellone is ready.

Curiosity: The Ciambellone can be enriched with the addition of raisins, pine nuts, or even chocolate chips to suit the tastes of every family. In many Italian regional variations, olive oil is also used in place of seed oil, which gives a distinctive note to the cake!