Harlequin cake

The Harlequin cake is a colorful dessert that recalls the costume of Harlequin from Commedia dell’Arte, full of multicolor diamond shapes. It’s perfect for celebrating Carnival or for bringing joy to any party. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 200 g of soft butter
• 200 g of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 packet of baking powder
• Food coloring (red, green, yellow, blue)
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Take a large bowl and cream the soft butter with the sugar until you achieve a homogeneous and fluffy mixture.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to work the mixture with an electric mixer or a whisk.
3. Once each egg is incorporated, combine the sifted flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt, mixing gently to not deflate the mixture.
4. Divide the batter obtained into different bowls, as many as the colors you wish to use.
5. Add a small amount of food coloring to each bowl (and cocoa in one for the brown color) and mix until you achieve vivid and uniform colors.
6. Butter and flour a cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
7. Pour the different colors of the batter into the pan, spoonful by spoonful, alternating them to achieve the Harlequin effect.
8. With the help of a toothpick or a fork, you can slightly stir the colors on the surface to create patterns typical of Harlequin’s costume.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Let cool before demolding and serving.

Curiosity

The Harlequin Cake can be enriched with icing or colored sprinkles to further enhance the festive and carnival effect of the dessert. You can also opt for the addition of flavors, such as vanilla or orange/lemon zest, to make the taste even more interesting. And of course, custom variants can be created based on preferred colors or any themes of the party.