The Donizetti cake or turta del Dunizet is a regional dessert that had been on the to-do recipe list for a while because it’s a historical dessert and I love these traditions and because it contains ingredients I consider unusual, which piqued my interest even more!
But I made a mistake, actually two, while making it, which I’ll tell you about below if you’re interested!
HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL RECIPE OF DONIZETTI CAKE
The story or legend tells that one evening Gaetano Donizetti was having dinner with Gioacchino Rossini and that he was very sad due to unrequited love, so much so that he lost sleep and peace of mind! Rossini asked his cook to prepare something extremely delicious to cheer up his distressed and thoughtful friend, and the cook created this bundt cake with pieces of apricot and pineapple flavored with vanilla and maraschino.
The dessert was so appreciated that it became the Donizetti cake and became a traditional dessert of Bergamo!
THE TRUE STORY OF THE DONIZETTI CAKE RECIPE FROM BERGAMO
The creator of the Donizetti cake was Alessandro Balzer in 1948 on the occasion of the centenary of the master’s death. The name Balzer is very important because it is the name of a historic pastry shop right near the Donizetti theater, and over the years, it has attracted many personalities from Italian culture and entertainment.
The cake was hugely successful, and the recipe was patented so that the label TURTA DEL DUNIZET is given to that preparation which fully corresponds to the discipline filed under the “Bergamo city of a thousand flavors” brand.
To give even more fame and honor to the Donizetti cake, the National Donizetti Cake Day was established on April 8, a celebratory date also because it recalls the day of the composer’s death, which occurred on April 8, 1848, in Bergamo!
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup potato starch
- 1 1/4 cups butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 4 egg whites
- 3/4 cup dried apricots
- 1 cup dried pineapple
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maraschino (I didn't have it, so I used rum)
Tools
#adv
- Stand Mixers
- Knives
- Sieves
- Molds
Steps
1) For making the Donizetti cake, slice the dried fruit into not too small nor too chunky pieces!
2) In the stand mixer or a large bowl, place the soft butter with 1/2 cup of sugar, then whip the ingredients into a creamy consistency for about ten minutes.
3) Add the egg yolks one by one, incorporating each well before adding the next.
4) Beat the egg whites until they start to foam, then add the remaining sugar to create a soft and fluffy meringue.
5) Gently fold the meringue into the butter and sugar mixture using a spatula, ensuring to keep the mixture airy.
6) Sift the flour and potato starch, and add these powders to the mixture along with the sliced dried fruits and the vanilla and maraschino flavorings.
7) Grease and flour (or use a specific release agent) a 9.5-inch diameter bundt cake mold and pour in the mixture, leveling it well for the Donizetti cake.
8) Bake at 350°F in static mode for about 40 minutes or according to your oven’s characteristics.
9) Let it cool after baking, then remove the cake and add powdered sugar.
Sweet and full of fruit, the DONIZETTI CAKE will surprise you!
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
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Annalisa says….
FIRST MISTAKE… the cake contains 200 grams of fruit, and if I had used a smooth mold, the Donizetti cake would have been smooth and more uniform!
SECOND MISTAKE… I used the indicated amount of pineapple and apricots from the recipe on the Cosedibergamo site, but even though I cut the candied fruit into pieces, I still made them too large. They are great to taste but much less to look at!
If you want to make the DONIZETTI CAKE, and it’s excellent, I recommend using a smooth bundt mold and chopping the candied pieces more finely! Bye and thank you!
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