The bread and cocoa cake is a family recipe, one of those passed down that smells like home.
This is my mother’s version, which she has always prepared with raisins soaked in rum. It’s her special touch, the thing that is never missing.
This time, however, I didn’t have enough raisins in the pantry and I decided to add some dried red berries as well. A small variation, but still respectful of the original recipe.
The result is a soft, moist, cocoa-scented cake with a delicate crust on top and an almost creamy center. A simple dessert, born to avoid wasting leftover bread, but capable of becoming truly special with that unique family flavor.
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I also have a free WhatsApp channel with one sweet and one savory recipe every day: click and subscribe → https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz stale bread
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.8 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3.5 oz raisins and dried red berries (total weight)
- 1 cup heavy cream (not whipped)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp rum
Tools
8-inch pan, buttered and floured
- Terrine
- Pans
Steps
Tear the bread into pieces and put it in a bowl. Cover with the milk and the cream and let it soften completely.
Soak the raisins (as in my mother’s recipe) and any dried red berries in the rum, letting them absorb flavor for a few minutes.Whisk the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a pale, frothy mixture.
Squeeze the now-softened bread well and mix it with the unsweetened cocoa powder. Add the soaked and well-drained fruit, then gently fold in the whipped eggs using soft movements.
Add the baking powder and combine everything with upward folding motions so as not to deflate the mixture.
Butter and flour a pan, pour in the batter and level it with a spatula.Bake at 320°F (160°C) in a preheated oven for about 35–40 minutes; check doneness with the skewer test.
Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.What more can I say, we loved it a lot!!!
Enjoy! Annalisa
