If you’re looking for the breakfast cake par excellence, the one that smells like home and melts in your mouth, you’re in the right place. The Margherita cake is a great classic of home baking, but it doesn’t always turn out as tall and spongy as we’d like.
The secret? It’s not in magical ingredients but in the way we whip the eggs to incorporate a lot of air. There’s a scent that reminds you of slow Sundays and breakfasts made with love: follow me and I’ll reveal all the tricks to make it rise like a cloud, just like my grandmother used to make. Get your beaters ready — we’re about to create a magic of pure softness!
OTHER RECIPES TO TRY:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 290.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 41.37 (g) of which sugars 22.11 (g)
- Proteins 5.02 (g)
- Fat 12.78 (g) of which saturated 7.79 (g)of which unsaturated 4.95 (g)
- Fibers 0.29 (g)
- Sodium 86.76 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 78 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 Super-Soft Margherita Cake
- 4 eggs (medium — about 7–8 oz (200–220 g) total)
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 100 g butter (melted and cooled)
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g potato starch (essential for softness)
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 lemon (organic — zest only)
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools Super-Soft Margherita Cake
- Stand mixer
- Sieve
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
Steps Super-Soft Margherita Cake
Put on your apron and let’s start: here’s how to transform simple ingredients into a softness magic.
Step by Step
The egg cloud (The real secret)
Start by cracking the 4 room-temperature eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat with electric beaters or in a stand mixer for at least 12–15 minutes at maximum speed. The mixture must triple in volume, becoming almost white and very thick: it’s the air incorporated that will make your cake rise!
The lemon scent and the butter
While the eggs are whipping, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. When the eggs are ready, add the grated lemon zest (only the yellow part!) and pour the melted butter in a thin stream, continuing to beat at medium-low speed so as not to deflate the mixture.The light dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, potato starch and baking powder. This step is essential to avoid lumps and make the batter feather-light.
The final embrace (By hand!)
Put away the electric beaters and use a spatula. Add the dry ingredients little by little, folding them in with slow circular bottom-to-top movements. Be gentle: we must preserve every air bubble created earlier.The perfect bake:
Pour the batter into a previously buttered and floured round pan about 8.7–9.4 in (22–24 cm). Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 338°F for about 40 minutes. Attention: never open the oven before 30 minutes! Do the skewer test at the end: if it comes out dry, your cloud is ready.Grandma’s touch:
Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan. Once cold, dust generously with powdered sugar. This is the tallest Margherita Cake I’ve ever triedThere’s nothing more rewarding than watching this cake rise in the oven and fill the kitchen with aroma. It’s the dessert of simplicity, perfect for dunking in cold milk or enjoying with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
And you, how do you prefer it? Classic with plenty of powdered sugar or filled with a thin layer of jam? Let me know in the comments and if you try the recipe, tag me in your photos: I can’t wait to see your tall “clouds”!If you like, follow me on Facebook by clicking Il ricettario delle vergare and leave your like. I’ll be waiting, Ivana.
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Storage and Tips
How to store it:
The Margherita Cake stays soft for 3–4 days if kept under a glass dome or in an airtight container. If you prefer, you can also freeze it in slices, wrapping them in cling film: just leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours to have a snack that tastes freshly baked.
For a perfect result:
Room-temperature eggs: It’s essential! If the eggs are cold from the fridge, they won’t incorporate the same amount of air and the cake will remain low.
The skewer test: Every oven is different. After 35 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake: if it comes out clean, remove from the oven. If it’s still moist, bake for another 5 minutes.
Fragrant variation: If you don’t like lemon, you can replace the zest with the seeds of a vanilla pod or with a tablespoon of good-quality vanilla extract.
Questions and Answers
Can I replace the butter?
No butter? If you prefer a lighter version, you can replace the 100 g of butter with 80 g of vegetable oil (sunflower or corn), pouring it in a thin stream just as you would with the butter. 80 g is about 6 tbsp.
