Susanna Cake

The Susanna Cake is a classic sweet from the Italian tradition that combines the softness of chocolate and the crunchiness of hazelnut grains for a truly indulgent result. Here’s the recipe for you:

Ingredients

• 200 g of dark chocolate
• 100 g of butter
• 100 g of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 50 g of flour 00
• 100 g of hazelnut grains
• 1 sachet of vanillin (or a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
• A pinch of salt
• Icing sugar (for decoration)

Preparation

1. Take the dark chocolate and melt it in a double boiler or microwave, then let it cool down slightly.
2. In a bowl, cream the soft butter with the sugar until you get a fluffy mixture.
3. Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks one at a time to the mixture of butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition.
4. Incorporate the warm melted chocolate and vanillin (or vanilla extract) and mix until the ingredients are combined.
5. Add the sifted flour and hazelnut grains to the mixture and blend well.
6. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt and gently fold them into the mixture with upward strokes to keep them from deflating.
7. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured cake tin, and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30-35 minutes. Check the cooking with a toothpick, which should come out clean from the center of the cake.
8. Let the cake cool before unmolding and dust it with icing sugar before serving.

Tip: For a more Italian touch, you can further enrich this cake by adding a drizzle of vanilla or orange custard to the filling or by serving it with a scoop of cream ice cream.

The Susanna Cake, with its rich combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, is a delightful example of Italian sweetness that leverages simplicity and intense flavor.