CHOCOLATE EASTER COLOMBA
A delicious twist on the Classic EASTER COLOMBA, the CHOCOLATE COLOMBA, is a soft and irresistible sweet bread that can be prepared quickly thanks to Instant Yeast.
The Chocolate Colomba recipe, a clever dough, is practically the same as the classic one, but in this case, the mixture is enriched with plenty of melted chocolate chips once in the oven and then covered with chocolate glaze and sugar sprinkles: a true paradise for chocolate lovers!
Simple to prepare thanks to the use of instant yeast for savory preparations, preferable to the one for sweets because it is tasteless (but the one for sweets is also fine), which allows you to bake your Chocolate Colomba immediately.
You’ll bake a soft and fragrant Easter sweet, perfect for those who don’t particularly love candied fruits but don’t want to give up the taste of the quintessential Easter dessert, the Colomba, without the stress of long rising times.
A quick-to-make Chocolate Easter Colomba at home with all the tips and step-by-step procedure that will guide even the less experienced in the kitchen to make this dessert.
I decided to cover the colomba with a chocolate glaze to make it even more delightful, very similar to Chocolate Ganache made with chocolate, cream, and a few tablespoons of water that allows it to remain soft and not dry even when it solidifies.
You just need to prepare with me the soft and flavorful chocolate colomba recipe with chocolate chips in the dough that will delight not only children, perfect to bring to the table to sweetly conclude the Easter lunch, and if there are leftovers, dip them in milk to see how good they are.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
- Energy 508.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 55.19 (g) of which sugars 22.37 (g)
- Proteins 9.86 (g)
- Fat 28.75 (g) of which saturated 9.14 (g)of which unsaturated 11.99 (g)
- Fibers 4.13 (g)
- Sodium 27.07 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 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
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE COLOMBA
- 3 eggs (medium whole)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- orange zest (from 1 fruit)
- lemon zest (from 1 fruit)
- 1 vial almond essence
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp instant yeast for savory preparations
- 4 1/2 oz dark chocolate chips
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup fresh liquid cream
- 1 tsp water (hot)
- to taste sugar sprinkles
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Colomba Mold
- Spatula
- Scale
- Small saucepan
HOW TO PREPARE THE COLOMBA WITH CHOCOLATE
Separate the egg whites from the yolks and divide them into 2 bowls. Whip the egg whites until stiff and set aside. In the bowl with the yolks, add the granulated sugar, grated lemon and orange zest, and almond essence, and mix with an electric whisk.
In the bowl with the yolks, gradually add the sunflower oil while continuing to mix with the whisk. Once incorporated, pour in the milk, mix, and then add the flour, previously sifted, gradually. Mix until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
At this point, add the instant yeast for savory cakes (since it activates immediately, it should be added just before baking the colomba) and fold in the previously whipped egg whites. Mix with a spatula to avoid deflating the mixture. Finally, add the chocolate chips and incorporate them with the spatula.
Pour the mixture into a 750 g colomba mold and bake in a fan oven at 340°F for about 40 minutes. Cooking times may vary depending on the oven, so do the toothpick test before removing it from the oven. Once ready, remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
While the colomba is cooling, if you want to make it even more delicious, you can prepare the chocolate glaze. To do this, put the cream in a small saucepan to heat, but do not bring it to a boil. Then remove it from the heat and add the chocolate, previously cut into small pieces, and 2 teaspoons of hot water. Stir with a spatula until everything melts and combines into a thick cream. Remove from the heat and continue stirring for 2 minutes: the mixture will become viscous and shiny.
Now that the colomba has cooled, you can glaze it simply by spreading the freshly prepared glaze over the entire surface. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles and wait for the glaze to slightly solidify before serving.
STORAGE
First of all, remember that before storing it, you must wait for the chocolate glaze to dry (about 1 hour). At that point, you can package it: to keep it soft for as long as possible, I recommend closing it in a plastic bag or wrapping it in cellophane or with food film. It can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days.
NOTES AND TIPS
INSTANT YEAST: For this homemade Colomba recipe, I used instant yeast for savory cakes because it is instant and, unlike the one for sweets, it is more neutral as it does not contain any kind of aroma. This way, the citrus and almond notes will be more present. You can, however, substitute instant yeast for savory preparations with powdered yeast for sweets if you prefer (1 packet of instant yeast for savory cakes = 1 packet of powdered yeast for sweets).
ORANGE AND LEMON ZEST: Since you need to use the zest of the citrus fruits, be sure to buy only organic, untreated fruits to avoid pesticide residues on the peel.
ALMOND ESSENCE: If you are allergic to nuts or simply don’t particularly like the almond flavor, you can omit it, and the colomba’s texture will remain unchanged. Or you can replace it with an equal amount of vanilla essence.
HOW TO BAKE THE COLOMBA IN AN AIR FRYER
It is possible to bake the chocolate colomba in an air fryer as well. You should set it to a temperature of 340°F for about 25 minutes. At the end, always do the toothpick test.
RECALCULATED INGREDIENTS FOR 500 g COLOMBA MOLD
For a 500g mold, the quantities are: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup sunflower oil, 1/2 cup milk, 2 cups flour, 1/2 packet of instant yeast for savory preparations, 1/2 grated orange and 1/2 grated lemon, 2/3 of almond essence. Obviously, the cooking times in this case will be slightly shorter (about 3-5 minutes less). Always do the toothpick test before removing it from the oven.
RECALCULATED INGREDIENTS FOR 1 KG COLOMBA MOLD
If you choose to use a 1kg colomba mold, the recalculated ingredient quantities are as follows: 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup milk, 4 cups of flour, 1 packet of yeast, 1 grated orange and 1 grated lemon, 1 vial of almond essence. Obviously, the cooking times in this case will be a bit longer (about 5 minutes more). Always do the toothpick test before removing it from the oven.
