The Angelica Cake is a well-known dessert made with a brioche dough. It seems that sisters Margherita and Valeria Simili invented this cake, which looks very difficult but is actually just a matter of braiding. After a few hours of rising, the dough is rolled out, filled, and rolled up, then the roll is cut in half, the two parts are braided, and it continues to rise in the pan. Originally, the Simili sisters filled this cake with raisins and candied orange, but now there are many versions. For my version, I chose to make the Angelica Cake with pistachio with cream and chopped pistachios, and I must say it is delicious.
Other pistachio recipes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 573.96 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 49.86 (g) of which sugars 12.71 (g)
- Proteins 17.13 (g)
- Fat 33.38 (g) of which saturated 9.07 (g)of which unsaturated 12.49 (g)
- Fibers 4.55 (g)
- Sodium 42.50 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 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
- 4 1/4 cups Manitoba flour
- 1/2 cup milk (1/3 + 1/2)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 9 tbsp butter (8 + 1)
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 tsp fresh yeast
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 3/4 cup chopped pistachios
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 7 oz pistachio cream
Tools
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- Kitchen scale
- Bowl
- Stand mixer
- Baking pan 8.5"
- Parchment paper
Steps
To prepare the starter dough, dissolve the fresh yeast in 1/3 cup of warm milk, pour it into 1 1/8 cups of flour and make a dough that should rise for 30 minutes. I put it in the stand mixer, covered with a cloth.
In a bowl, pour the remaining milk, sugar, egg yolks, and salt. Mix the ingredients, add the rest of the flour, and blend the dough.
Once the dough is blended, combine it with the starter dough and with the stand mixer start kneading with the dough hook until you get an elastic and firm mixture. Gradually add 8 tbsp of soft butter in pieces and let knead for 20 minutes. Form a loaf, place it in a buttered bowl, and cover it with a cloth. Let it rise for 3 hours in a warm place.
After the rising, sprinkle flour on the work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a thin rectangle. Spread the pistachio cream evenly with a spatula.
Distribute the chopped pistachios on top, pressing them to adhere. Starting from the longer side, roll the dough to obtain a compact roll. Along the length of the roll, make a cut down the middle to obtain two parts.
Braid the two parts ensuring the cut side remains up. Prepare an 8.5″ pan with parchment paper at the base and around the edge. Transfer the twist inside, cover it with the cloth, and let it rise again for 2 hours, until doubled. In the meantime, preheat the static oven to 340°F. After rising, brush with the 1 tbsp of melted butter, bake and cook for 40 minutes, checking as ovens are not all the same. If it browns too much, cover the cake with aluminum foil. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can be used instead of pistachio?
Other variations of the Angelica Cake can be hazelnut cream and chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips with cream.
