The Abruzzo Easter Heart is a traditional recipe made during the Easter period and can be heart-shaped for couples, doll-shaped for girls, and horse-shaped for boys.
In Abruzzo, we have many recipes made during the Easter period, and there will come a time when I will manage to put them all, but it’s really a long job.
When I was little, we never made this type of cake, also because in the L’Aquila area, dolls and horses with shortcrust pastry are more common, and there wasn’t a year that a dear family friend who had the bakery (the bakery is still there) would make the doll for me and the horse for his son.
A gift I really appreciated, like his cookies which I often make at home, but his were special, especially because he would set aside the ones from the batches that were baked more and brought them to me.
I always hoped that some cookies would burn a little, I’ve always liked them well-cooked.
I don’t want to fall into melancholy, so after discovering this type of typical Easter cake, thanks to a local lady, I tried it, and everyone at home was won over, including me.
You absolutely have to make it too.
It’s a cake made with an almond-based dough, my recipe remains a bit softer because I used a mold, but if you want, you can make it by creating shapes by hand, adding a little more flour and with floured hands, create shapes on parchment paper cutouts in the shape of a heart to have a decent shape.
Approx. 726 Kcal per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 1 large heart, or 2 medium small for 10 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Abruzzo
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients to Make the Abruzzo Easter Heart
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 7 oz almonds
- 7 oz 70% dark chocolate
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 tbsp honey
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 1 tbsp brandy
- 5 eggs (medium)
- 7 oz 75% dark chocolate
- sprinkles (or colored sugar pearls)
Tools
- 1 Mold heart-shaped mold
Preparation of the Abruzzo Easter Heart
First, prepare the almonds by placing them in a baking tray and then in the oven at 320°F for about 20 minutes to dry them well.
Then let them cool (if you’re in a hurry, put them in the freezer for 10 minutes), then coarsely blend them and set them aside.
If you don’t like them in pieces, you can opt for almond flour, obviously with a slightly different taste.
Prepare the dark chocolate by chopping it into pieces and set this aside too.
Now in a large bowl, put the dry ingredients, namely flour, sugar, chopped almonds, chocolate, baking powder, and mix a little.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix using electric whisks, especially to ensure the eggs mix well.
Butter and flour a heart-shaped mold, pour the mixture in and level it, then bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 40 minutes, checking for doneness.
Once cooked, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool.
Prepare the dark chocolate for the coating by melting it in a double boiler or microwave.
Pour the chocolate over the cooled cake and cover the entire surface well, then sprinkle it with sugar decorations and let it solidify.
