Tired of the Torta Pasqualina? Let’s discover the Danubio Pasqualino together! A soft savory brioche cake filled with the traditional Ligurian Easter tart filling. We will fill each ball with spinach, ricotta and hard-boiled eggs, like the traditional Easter pie made with puff pastry.
In recent years I have always made the Torta Pasqualina for Easter Monday, but not this year. This time I wanted to try something different so I thought of the savory danubio. As a brioche-style bread cake it works very well for many recipes and, above all, you can change the filling of the balls each time. Just plan ahead for cooking the spinach and hard-boiled eggs and you’ll be able to serve a perfect cake for Easter or Easter Monday, different from the usual.
Don’t be frightened by the 4 hours of rising: meanwhile you can prepare other dishes. This morning, for example, I made cannellini bean hummus and baked bean patties while waiting. Of course even Alex, my big dog, took advantage of the wait for his walk. In short, you can occupy the initial three hours of proof however you like and then, during the last hour, maybe prepare other recipes to serve with the savory Danubio for Easter.
Before moving on to the Danubio Pasqualino recipe I remind you that on the blog, in addition to many Easter menus, you can find themed recipes. Of course, the Torta Pasqualina is indispensable and is the inspiration for this recipe. Or the crescia di Pasqua or Easter pizza, typical of central Italy, to serve for Easter breakfast with cheeses and cold cuts. Or desserts such as Colombamisù, the easy and quick Easter tiramisu to prepare, or the version tiramisu in an Easter egg. If instead you feel like trying a homemade colomba, you can read the quick Easter colomba recipe I posted a few years ago.
Every link below is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you chose to read. I remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! A must to start the day together with a sweet or savory treat!
Now let’s move on to today’s recipe, keeping in mind the time needed before starting to cook the spinach and hard-boiled eggs, ingredients necessary for the filling of the Danubio Pasqualino!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter Monday, Easter
- Energy 354.92 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 48.96 (g) of which sugars 4.46 (g)
- Proteins 15.91 (g)
- Fat 12.01 (g) of which saturated 3.61 (g)of which unsaturated 3.78 (g)
- Fibers 3.17 (g)
- Sodium 776.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the Danubio Pasqualino savory brioche filled for Easter
- 4 1/4 cups type 0 flour (with strength from 300W to 500W)
- 1 1/3 cups water (at room temperature)
- 0.4 oz compressed fresh yeast (about half a cake)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 11 oz spinach (in my case frozen)
- 8 hard-boiled eggs (hard-boiled)
- 2.1 oz grated cheese (grated (I used Grana Padano))
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- as needed extra virgin olive oil (for brushing the surface)
- as needed flaked almonds
- as needed mixed seeds
Turn the classic Torta Pasqualina into a tasty Danubio! Perfect for Easter lunch or an Easter Monday picnic. Easy recipe, with video and step-by-step instructions.
Tools to prepare the Danubio Pasqualino, the brioche version of the Torta Pasqualina
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Silicone rolling pin
- 1 Springform pan
- 1 Oven
- 1 Tea towel
- 1 Fork
- 1 Pastry brush
I didn’t include the pot for boiling the spinach or the saucepan for cooking the hard-boiled eggs in the tools list. Since both are preparations performed before making the dough, I didn’t specify these two tools necessary for the filling preparation.
Surprise your guests with the Danubio Pasqualino. A creative and modern take on the Easter tradition, ideal for a buffet or an Easter brunch.
Steps for the Danubio Pasqualino recipe
I start the preparation by weighing all the ingredients needed for the savory Danubio brioche. I place the stand mixer on the work surface and I’m ready to begin. I add some flour, add the egg at room temperature, the sugar and crumble the fresh yeast with my hands.
I turn on the machine and let it work while gradually adding the water, at room temperature, and continue with the flour with a spoon until the quantity is finished. Finally add the salt. Then I let the mixer work until the dough is well elastic and has pulled away from the bowl. I dust the pastry board with a little flour and form a nice ball. I place it in the bowl and let it rise for 3 hours covered with a tea towel.
After this time I can proceed with the preparation of the Easter Danubio. I take the spinach, now cold and well drained. I add the ricotta, the grated cheese, in my case Grana Padano, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. I mix everything with a fork. I also take the hard-boiled eggs, which I have already shelled.
I dust the pastry board again with flour and work the dough ball to make at least 8 balls, cutting with a dough scraper. To help roll out the dough I used a silicone rolling pin. Now I have 8 evenly rolled disks and I can proceed. I place the spinach and ricotta in the center of each disk and, in the center, place an egg with the point facing down.
I form balls and place them in the 9.5-inch springform pan that I previously greased and dusted with flour. First the outer balls and then the central one. I cover the pan with the tea towel and let it proof for another hour.
After this second proof I can preheat the oven to 338–356°F in conventional mode. I take some extra virgin olive oil and with a kitchen brush I brush the surface of the Danubio Pasqualino. I sprinkle with flaked almonds and a mix of seeds. I am finally ready to bake the savory danubio.
I place the pan in the center of the oven and bake at 338–356°F for about 40–45 minutes. The brioche will begin to rise and the surface will become golden brown. Do not set the oven too high: you risk the danubio becoming too dark outside and undercooked inside.
Once out of the oven, I let it cool for a couple of minutes so that the spinach and ricotta inside the balls can settle. I am finally ready to serve the Danubio Pasqualino or savory Danubio for Easter at the table!
All that’s left is for me to wish you enjoy your meal and remind you that I wait for you every day here on my blog with many easy, quick and delicious recipes like this one!
All the flavor of Pasqualina in a shareable format! The Danubio Pasqualino is a soft leavened dough filled with flavor thanks to the spinach, hard-boiled eggs and ricotta.
Storage, tips and variations for the Danubio filled with spinach, ricotta and hard-boiled eggs.
Storage of the savory Danubio: you can keep the Danubio Pasqualino in the refrigerator for a couple of days wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. If you prepare this version of the Torta Pasqualina for an Easter Monday picnic, you can close it in a cake container and transport it that way. Since everything is cooked, there are no preservation problems outside the refrigerator for one day.
Tips for the recipe: work the dough well with the stand mixer or by hand; if you knead by hand, work well to optimize the rise. Squeeze the spinach well so they don’t release water during baking, which would soften the savory brioche too much. As already said, don’t set the oven at too high temperatures: better a lower temperature and longer baking time.
Variations: feel free to make any changes you want to the Danubio filling, making it savory as here, or sweet. Here are two ideas: the colomba Danubio savory filled or the pan brioche colomba with Nutella!
