Pan di Spagna is quite similar to Genoise, which Italians call pasta Genovese. It's a simple cake whose major function is to serve as a base for layer cakes, roll cakes and so on.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4/5 cup (100 g) flour
- 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
- 6 eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (60 g) potato starch
- A 1/2 ounce (15 g) cake baker's yeast (use active bread yeast if need be)
- A pinch of salt
- The grated zest of a lemon
- Milk
Preparation:
"Used hundreds of ways, and also consumed as is," says Pino Correnti, "this cake becomes irreplaceable when used as the container for the cassata and its relatives. The most difficult part about it is the baking, but covering it with foil and placing it in the exact center of the oven, which is kept moist by putting a can of water on the oven floor, will give you a perfect golden pan di Spagna provided you follow the instructions."Begin by beating the yolks, separately from the whites, together with the sugar and, if you like, a bit of vanilla extract. When the volume of the mixture has about tripled, fold in the flour (sprinkle it over the egg mixture as you work it in), and then add the yeast, which you will have dissolved in some warm milk, the grated lemon zest or orange extract, and a pinch of salt.
Put the pot on the top of a double boiler and while gently stirring with a wooden spoon, incorporate the whites, which should be beaten to firm peaks, and the melted butter. When the batter is thoroughly amalgamated pour it into a round 9-inch (24 cm) pan at least 6 inches (15 cm) deep, because pan di Spagna will rise. Bake in a preheated moderate (370 F, 180 C) oven for about 40 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center should emerge dry).
Mimma remarked on Mr. Correnti's use of baker's yeast and it is slightly odd. The recipe Ada Boni gives in Il Talismano della Felicitá doesn't call for it:
To make a cake for 6:
1 cup and 1 tablespoon (130 g) flour
1 1/3 cups (130 g) powdered sugar (if you have a scale, you want the same weight as you have flour)
5 eggs, separated
Grated lemon or orange zest, or vanilla extract (about a teaspoon or so of whichever you prefer)
Butter for greasing the pan
Preheat your oven to 375 F (185 C).
Beat the yolks and the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow, light, and has expanded considerably in volume (tripled or more). Whip the whites to firm peaks. Fold them into the yolks, and then fold the flour and the flavoring agent of your choice into everything. Grease and flour a fairly high-sided round 9-inch pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted will come out dry, and the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan). Turn the cake out onto a rack to cool.
What to do with it once you've made it? In addition to Cassata it's perfect for making layer cakes and such (cut it in half, smother the bottom with icing or pastry cream, replace the top half, and continue to spread frosting or cream), and, if cut into thinner layers, also makes an excellent base for jelly rolls and other log-like cakes (use a square pan in this case).
