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Stuffed Colomba

17/11/2023

The Stuffed Colomba is a tasty variant of the traditional Italian Easter cake. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

For the base cake, if you don’t have a Colomba already made, start from:

  • 500 g of manitoba flour
  • 150 g of sugar
  • 150 g of soft butter
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 150 ml of warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
  • 1 packet of dry yeast (7 g) or 25 g of fresh yeast
  • A pinch of salt
  • Candied fruit to taste
  • Sugar nibs and almonds for decoration

For the filling:

  • 250 g of mascarpone
  • 100 g of powdered sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod (or vanilla extract)
  • Chocolate chips or candied fruit to taste

Preparation

  1. Dough for Colomba: Begin by warming the milk slightly and dissolving the yeast in it. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, eggs, the soft butter in pieces, honey, milk with yeast, and the pinch of salt. Work everything until you get a smooth and elastic dough. Then add the flavors and the candied fruit. Cover with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume (about 2 hours).
  2. Shaping the Colomba: Take the dough, deflate it and place it in a dove-shaped mold, then let it rise again until it reaches the edge of the mold.
  3. Baking: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brush the surface of the Colomba with a bit of milk, then decorate with sugar nibs and almonds. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, performing the skewer test to check the cooking at the heart of the cake.
  4. Preparing the filling: Meanwhile, whip the mascarpone with the powdered sugar and the seeds extracted from the vanilla pod until you get a homogeneous cream.
  5. Stuffing the Colomba: Once the Colomba is cold, cut it horizontally into two or three disks depending on the desired thickness. Spread the mascarpone cream on the different layers and sprinkle with chocolate chips or additional candied fruit if desired. Stack the layers and serve.

Curiosity

The Easter Colomba has a fascinating history and its origins are lost in stories and legends. One of the most well-known stories wants it to have been invented by a Lombard pastry chef in the 20th century, but there are also tales that date back to the Middle Ages. Its dove shape is a symbol of peace and renewal, representing the Holy Spirit.

Remember that the Stuffed Colomba is quite rich, so it is ideal to serve it as a dessert on a special occasion like Easter lunch.

Stuffed Colomba