LEMON COLOMBA without YEASTING easy and quick
An aromatic and fragrant variant of the Classic EASTER COLOMBA, the LEMON COLOMBA is perfect to serve during the Easter holidays at the end of a meal or as a snack or breakfast with the family.
A homemade version of the Easter dove, in which the basic dough is that of the classic dove to which the Lemon aroma will be added and once cooked we will cover it with a tasty lemon glaze and sliced almonds.
A recipe for the homemade dove that is easy, accessible to everyone, and quick to prepare thanks to Instant Yeast for savory preparations, preferable to that for sweets because it is tasteless (but the one for sweets is also fine) which allows you to bake your Lemon-flavored Colomba immediately.
You will bake a soft and fragrant Easter sweet, perfect for those who do not want to spend too much time in the kitchen but do not want to give up the taste of Easter cake par excellence, the Colomba, and without the stress of long rising times.
A quick Lemon Easter Dove to make at home with all the tips and step-by-step procedure that will guide even the less experienced in the kitchen to the realization of this dessert.
I decided to cover the dove with a Lemon glaze to make it even more aromatic and accentuate the scent and flavor of this citrus fruit, prepared simply with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and Lemon aroma, which also allows the Colomba to remain soft and not dry out when it solidifies.
All you have to do is prepare with me the recipe for the homemade Lemon Colomba that will bring joy not only to children, perfect to bring to the table to sweetly conclude the Easter lunch and if there are leftovers, dip it in milk and you’ll see how good it is.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 1 dove 1.65 lbs
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE LEMON COLOMBA
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 6 tbsp sunflower seed oil
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- orange zest (from 1 fruit)
- lemon zest (from 1 fruit)
- 1 packet instant yeast for savory preparations
- almond essence (1 ampoule)
- 3.5 oz candied orange peel (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- lemon juice (from 1 fruit)
- lemon (essence 1/2 ampoule)
- sliced almonds
- sugar sprinkles
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixer
- Colomba mold
- Spatula
- Lemon grater
HOW TO PREPARE LEMON COLOMBA
Separate the egg whites from the yolks and divide them into 2 bowls. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set them aside. In the bowl with the yolks, add the granulated sugar, grated lemon, and orange zest, and almond flavor, and mix with an electric whisk.
Gradually add the sunflower seed oil to the yolk mixture, still mixing with the beaters. Once incorporated, pour in the milk, stir, and then the flour, previously sifted, a little at a time. Mix until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
At this point, add the instant yeast for savory cakes (since it activates immediately, add it just before baking the dove) and fold in the previously whipped egg whites. Mix with a spatula so as not to deflate the mixture. Finally, add the candied orange peel and incorporate it with the spatula.
Pour the mixture into a 1.65 lbs dove mold and bake in a ventilated oven at 340 °F for about 40 minutes. Cooking times vary depending on the oven, so do a toothpick test before taking it out. Once ready, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.
Meanwhile, as the dove cools, prepare the glaze for decoration. Place the powdered sugar in a bowl and add a few teaspoons of lemon juice, a little at a time, until you get a fairly thick glaze. To make it even more aromatic, you can also add ½ ampoule of Lemon flavor.
Now that the dove has cooled, you can glaze it by simply spreading the glaze all over the surface. Decorate with the sliced almonds. Let it rest a few minutes before serving so that the lemon glaze sets slightly.
PRESERVATION
First of all, remember that before storing it, you must wait for the lemon glaze to dry (about 30 min). At that point, you can wrap it: to keep it soft for as long as possible, I recommend closing it in a plastic bag or wrapping it with cling film. The glazed Lemon Colomba can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days.
NOTES AND TIPS
INSTANT YEAST: For this homemade Lemon Colomba recipe, I used instant yeast for savory cakes instead of the sweet powder yeast because it is also instant, but unlike the sweet one, it is more neutral as it does not contain any flavor. This way, you can better appreciate the lemon scent. You can still, if you prefer, replace the savory preparation yeast with the sweet powder one, keeping the same amounts (1 packet of savory cake yeast = 1 packet of sweet powder).
COOKING IN AIR FRYER:
It is possible to bake the lemon dove in the air fryer. You will need to set the temperature to 340 °F for about 25 minutes.
VARIANT RECIPE LEMON COLOMBA
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL: In this recipe to recreate the Classic Easter Dove, I used candied orange peel, but if you don’t like its taste or texture, you can omit it or replace it, for example, with the same quantity of raisins or chocolate chips.
LEMON AND ORANGE ZEST: For the dough, I used both, but to further enhance the lemon scent, you can omit the orange and double the amount of lemon zest. Make sure to buy only untreated organic fruit to avoid pesticide residue in the peel.
ALMOND AROMA: If you are allergic to nuts or simply do not particularly like the almond taste, you can omit it, and the consistency of the dove will remain unchanged. Or also replace it with the same amount of vanilla or lemon flavor.
INGREDIENTS RECALCULATED FOR 1.1 lbs DOVE MOLD
the doses for a 1.1 lbs mold are: 2 eggs, 100 g of sugar, 60 g sunflower oil, 120 g milk, 230 flour, 1/2 packet of instant yeast for savory preparations, 1/2 grated orange and 1/2 grated lemon, 2/3 almond flavor. Obviously, the cooking times in this case will be a little shorter (about 3/5 minutes less). Always do the toothpick test before taking it out of the oven.
RECALCULATED INGREDIENTS FOR 2.2 lbs DOVE MOLD
If you choose to use a 2.2 lbs dove mold, the recalculated ingredient doses are as follows: 4 eggs, 200 g sugar, 120 g oil, 225 g milk, 460 g of flour, 1 packet of yeast, 1 grated orange and 1 grated lemon, 1 ampoule of almond flavor. Obviously, the cooking times in this case will be a little longer (about 5 minutes more). Always do the toothpick test before taking it out of the oven.
CHOCOLATE COLOMBA
