dessert

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

May 14, 2021 by Marisa 28 Comments

Soft and cake-like Lemon Ricotta Cookies made with a quick lemon infused sugar. These fragrantly bright Italian cookies are dipped in a lemon glaze for a delightful all around citrus scent.

They’re incredibly easy to make and you can top them with sprinkles of your choice to suit just about any holiday or other special occasion.

These cookies made with ricotta are extremely popular in Italian households. Especially around the holidays with each family having their own unique way of decorating these lemon flavoured cookies.

They’re inspired by Canadian Living Magazine’s Ricotta Cookies from a holiday issue. I’ve made a few switch ups which will definitely appeal to all lemon lovers.

To achieve an all around citrus taste in the cookie dough, I added lemon zest and made a quick lemon sugar by pulsing together the lemon zest with the granulated sugar in my mini food processor. It’s the same technique I use when baking batches of Ciambelle Cookies as well!

Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor you can skip this step. And simply beat together the butter and sugar with the lemon zest.

I also omitted the baking soda altogether and increased the baking powder from 1/4 teaspoon to a full teaspoon. This yielded a plumper cookie which did not spread out much and does not flatten out. They resembled these perfect little round soft and fluffy pillows.

Also for uniformly round cookies I used a 1 1/2 inch round cookie scoop but you can just as easily measure the dough out with a rounded tablespoon.

I opted out of the cream cheese icing and decided to make a luscious lemon glaze.

They’re extremely soft to the bite, much more so than my Tarallucci al Limone. And they also have a very cake-like texture full of lemon flavour which are sure to appeal to all you die hard cookie fans!

How To Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies

1. Pulse together the lemon zest and sugar together in a food processor for about 1 minute. This technique infuses the sugar granules with the citrus scent.

2. Place the lemon sugar and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl.

3. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

4. Add in the egg, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract

4. Beat together until well combined.

5. Add in the sifted dry ingredients consisting of flour, salt and baking powder. And stir the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture.

6. Scoop out approximately 1 tablespoon of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet while spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. (use a 1.5 inch small scoop or a tablespoon)

7. Bake in a preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven when pale yellow in colour with golden bottoms. Then simply transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Lemon Glaze For Cookies

This is a simple dairy free lemon glaze consisting of powdered sugar, also known as icing or confectioner’s sugar. And with both the juice and zest of a lemon.

You may need an extra lemon for juicing if your first one does not give out enough juice.

Simply add the powdered sugar, juice and zest in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients until smooth in appearance with no lumps.

You can customize the thickness of the lemon icing or glaze to your taste. Adding less lemon juice to the icing sugar will result in a thicker glaze. Or, if you prefer a thinner glaze try adding a little more lemon juice.

Do keep in mind though that these cookies absorb quite a bit of the icing, especially a day after. So if you want that white glazed appearance make sure the icing is not overly thin.

Can You Freeze Lemon Ricotta Cookies?

I had full intentions to test out whether these ricotta cookies would freeze well because I’m all for baking ahead during the holidays.

However, they lasted 1 full day in my freezer because greedy hands quickly devoured the cookies! They’re that delicious!

Here is what I recommend!

If baking and freezing ahead do freeze the cookies without the lemon glaze.
Thaw and then glaze the cookies the same day you plan to serve them for best appearance.

How to store Italian Ricotta Cookies

Store the cookies in an air tight container and keep in a cool dark place.
They’ll be at their freshest for about 5 days
Or freeze unglazed cookies and then defrost and glaze them on the day you plan to serve them.

Bake them today and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This recipe was originally posted Nov 13, 2017 and republished May 14, 2021 with updated content and photos.

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4 from 4 votes

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These classic Italian Ricotta Cookies are extremely soft and cake-like in texture. They're dipped in a lemon glaze and topped with golden non-pareils.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time14 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Servings:

Calories: 115kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

For The Cookie Dough

1 cup granulated sugar
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 large egg
8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
sprinkles or nonpareils for decorating

For The Lemon Glaze

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
zest from 1 lemon
4 to 5 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 cookies sheets with parchment paper as this will make for easy release of the cookies and set aside.
Pulse the granulated sugar with the lemon zest in a food processor for about 1 minute so as to infuse the sugar with the lemon scent.
Place the lemon sugar and the softened butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy.
Beat in the egg, ricotta cheese and the vanilla until well combined.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and stir this into the ricotta mixture.
Using a small cookie scoop of about 1 1/2 inch in size, scoop out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart so that they have room to expand. Or simply measure out a heaping tablespoon if you don't have a cookie scoop.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes or until the bottoms are golden in color.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and in the meantime prepare the lemon glaze.
FOR THE LEMON GLAZE
Place the icing sugar and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl and whisk in the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, until a desired consistency is achieved.
Dunk the top of the ricotta cookies into the lemon glaze and place on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch any drippings.
Sprinkle with nonpareils of your choice and then allow the lemon glaze to set before serving.

Nutrition

Tiramisu Recipe

April 28, 2021 by Marisa 2 Comments

A classic and easy Tiramisu Recipe that is simple, elegant and packed full of yummy goodness.

Just follow the step-by-step instructions to bring Italy’s famous and beloved dessert to your own kitchen table. And do plan ahead as the flavours deliciously infuse and taste better and better, day after day!

What Is Tiramisu

Tiramisu, which easily translates to “pick me up” is a popular Italian coffee-infused dessert. And aptly named too because of its caffeine kick.

It’s made with espresso-soaked ladyfingers and layered with sweetened whipped cream and mascarpone filling.

These luscious cream filled layers are then dusted with cocoa powder and topped with grated bittersweet chocolate.

It was originally prepared in round shaped cake pans. Only later has this ever-popular Italian dessert been made in rectangular or square, shallow cake molds because these accommodate the elongated shape of the Savoiardi cookies much better.

Today, it has evolved into some pretty unique ways of presenting this luscious no-bake dessert as one is not confined to cake molds alone.

Sparkling fluted champagne or parfait glasses make elegant individual servings as do shorter glasses or small glass bowls. And these see-through glass serving wares showcase the layers of the spongy coffee-soaked ladyfingers with creamy cheese filling.

Tiramisu Ingredients

Coffee – Strong freshly brewed coffee is best. And cooled.
Savoriardi Cookies – Otherwise known as ladyfingers. They’re elongated, dry and crunchy cookies perfect for dunking in coffee.
35% Cream – For whipping up and creating luscious layers.
Mascarpone – An Italian soft creamy cheese and a must have when making Tiramisu.
Sugar – To sweeten the whipped cream and for pasteurizing the eggs.
Egg yolks – The base of an Italian custard.
Coffee Liqueur – Or, substitute with brandy and even Rum.
Vanilla Extract – Adds a lovely warm scent to the egg custard.
Cocoa Powder – An essential ingredient which adds a deep chocolate flavour.
Bittersweet Chocolate – A delicious addition and kicks up the flavours of this coffee-infused dessert.
Chocolate Curls – For garnishing. And also adds a yummy crunch, in contrast to the creamy layers.

How To Make Tiramisu

First, brew some fresh coffee and stir in your favourite coffee liqueur. Set this aside to cool while preparing the creamy mascarpone mixture.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in the upper part of a double boiler or a heat proof bowl.
Add in the vanilla extract and whisk till well incorporated.

Fill the bottom part of the double boiler with about 2 inches of water and bring to a slow simmer. (not shown in photo)
Place the upper part of the double boiler, (your bowl with the whisked egg yolk mixture) over the simmering water while making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Continuously whisk for 5 minutes. The egg mixture will be thick and creamy and fall off in ribbons when lifting the whisk.
Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and continue whisking off the heat till cooled slightly. For about a minute.
Stir the mascarpone cheese into the egg mixture and set aside while you whip the cream.

In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream and sugar together. Start on low speed and gradually increase to medium high and beat till stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture with a rubber spatula till combined.

Putting The Tiramisu Layers Together

Quickly dip the ladyfingers on each side into the cooled coffee mixture. Take care not to over saturate the cookies.
Line the ladyfingers side by side in a serving dish. My shallow dish is a 8.25 x 8.25 in size but a 9 inch square serving bowl will also do.
Cut the ladyfinger cookies as needed before dipping them in coffee. Otherwise you’ll have one soggy mess.
Cover the ladyfingers with half of the mascarpone filling. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth out the filling.

Generously dust the top of the mascarpone with cocoa powder. (I used a dutch processed cocoa powder)
Sprinkle bittersweet chocolate evenly over the cocoa powder.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order.
Top the Tiramisu with dark chocolate curls. (optional)
Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to 24 hours before serving.

What Liquor Is In A Tiramisu Recipe?

My favourite coffee liquors for this layered dessert are Tia Maria or Kuhluá, but any coffee flavoured liquor will greatly enhance that caffeine kick.

Other liquors are frequently substituted as well depending on ones personal taste. Such as Marsala, brandy, rum, Disaranno or even Grand Marnier.

All will intensify the flavours of a classic Tiramisu recipe.

Can You Freeze Tiramisu?

This Tiramisu recipe is a perfect make ahead dessert and keeps well in the fridge for two or three days before serving. But it also freezes well if you’re not planning on serving it right away.

Simply wrap it well and remove from the freezer the night before serving.

Other No-Bake Desserts You’ll Enjoy

Ricotta Mousse With Strawberries Romanoff: Another easy-to-make dessert with a ricotta, mascarpone mousse topped with boozy strawberries.

Cherry Granola Greek Yogurt Parfait: Delightfully simple to make and a perfect breakfast alternative with homemade granola.

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Tiramisu Recipe

A classic Tiramisu Recipe that's so simple to make. This popular Italian coffee flavoured dessert is made with ladyfingers, a creamy mascarpone filling and topped with chocolate curls.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Tiramisu Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 706kcal

Equipment

8.25 or 9 inch square deep dish pan

Ingredients

For The Coffee Mixture

1 cup espresso coffee freshly brewed
5 tablespoons coffee liquor I used Tia Maria

For the Custard

4 egg yolks from large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Mascarpone Cream Filling

475 grams Mascarpone cheese
1 ¼ cups 35% cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Assembling The Tiramisu

24 ladyfinger cookies
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces grated bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup dark chocolate curls for topping optional

Instructions

Coffee Mixture

Pour freshly brewed coffee and liquor in a medium size shallow bowl. (The bowl should be big enough to dip the ladyfingers into)
Stir and set aside.

Custard Mixture

Pour 2 inches of water in the bottom part of a double boiler and bring the water to a low simmer.
In the top of a double boiler and off the heat, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract.
Once the water has come to a slow simmer, place the top of the double boiler (which holds your egg mixture) over the simmering water.
Whisk continuously for 5 minutes. At this point the custard will thicken and fall off in ribbons when lifted with the whisk.
Remove from the heat and continue whisking for about 1 minutes till the mixture cools slightly.
Stir the mascarpone into the slightly cooled egg mixture.
Set aside while you whip up the cream.
Place the cream and sugar in a large bowl.
Beat the cream and sugar together till stiff peaks form, starting on low speed and gradually increasing the speed to medium high.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until well combined and set aside.

Assembling The Tiramisu

One at time, dip a lady finger into the cooled coffee mixture (1 second on each side) and place into your shallow dish, lining them up side by side.
You may need to cut some ladyfingers to fit your dish as I did.
Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers while covering up to the edge of the bowl.
Sift a generous tablespoon of cocoa powder over the mascarpone mixture.
Sprinkle half the grated chocolate over the cocoa powder.
Repeat with a 2nd layer of ladyfingers, mascarpone mixture, cocoa and grated chocolate.
Top the Tiramisu with chocolate curls.
Cover with cling wrap and chill for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours before serving.
The longer it sets in the fridge the firmer the Tiramisu will be when serving and the more infused the flavours become.
Slice into individual portions and serve.

Notes

Double Boiler Substitution

A double boiler is also known as a "bain marie" which is the french term for a double boiler. But if you don't have one, no worries.

You can simply use a heat proof mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. That's what I do.

The heat proof bowl can be a glass or steel bowl.

Just make sure that the pot resting over the simmering water does not touch the water. There should be enough space between the two.

What we're looking for in this technique is a gentle indirect heat so that the egg mixture does not curdle or scorch.

Nutrition

Sweet Crispy Pasta Nests

April 2, 2021 by Marisa 29 Comments

Are you wondering what is a good dessert with pasta? Well how about taking fresh egg pasta and turning it into irresistible Sweet Crispy Pasta Nests!

This sweet pasta dessert is deep fried till golden and then soaked in an orange infused honey syrup. As a finishing touch, you can top the honey soaked pasta with coloured sprinkles, crushed pistachios or candy coated chocolate eggs for an easy Easter dessert.

Pasta not only makes a comforting first course meal but fresh pasta can be transformed into a rather playful dessert.

Italians have been making various types of pasta desserts for centuries and this comes as no surprise considering the love we all share for the ever popular noodle.

You can actually give your children permission to play with their food by involving them in shaping the strands of pasta into adorable nests.

They’re incredibly easy to put together but you may want to keep the young ones away from the hot oil.

How To Make Sweet Crispy Pasta Nests

Oh…the pastabilities!

I used three types of fresh egg pasta. Fettuccine! Linguine! And capellini!

The photo above shows the deep fried Linguine and in the photo below it shows its’ fresh state.

But you can use any fresh long strand of egg pasta you wish. The thinner the pasta the crispier it will be!

It’s almost a non recipe as there’s no mixing, beating or kneading involved here. Just a few simple steps!

And they’re a perfect make ahead dessert!

Step One: Take 3 strands of the longest fresh pasta noodles and twirl it around both your index and middle fingers to shape the nests.

The longer noodles can actually be twirled twice around your finger. And the over hanging part can be looped under the nest and pushed back up through the middle.

This secures the nests while allowing less loosening of the twirled pasta in the hot oil.

Fresh twirled fettuccine on the left and capellini on the right.

Place the shaped pasta on a cookie sheet and allow to air dry for about 15 minutes before hitting the hot oil. Don’t skip this step as this also helps the nested dough from coming apart in the hot oil.

During this resting time, prep your toppings in separate bowls and heat the vegetable oil.

How To Deep Fry Pasta Dough For Dessert

Step Two: Heat some vegetable oil in a heavy bottom stock pot at 350 degrees F.

Deep fry the pasta nests till a deep golden colour, turning over once. About 15-20 seconds in the hot oil.

Transfer the nests onto a paper lined cookie sheet to absorb any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining pasta.

Pretty simple and straight forward right?

And now for the final step!

How To Make Orange Infused Honey

Step Three: Pore one cup of honey in a small stock pot and add in one tablespoon of brandy and the zest of an orange. You can omit the brandy to make it strictly kid friendly.

Heat the honey mixture over low heat till barely a simmer. We just want it warm enough to dip our pasta into.

Turn off the heat and dip a few nests into the warmed honey while turning to coat all over.

Transfer the honey coated nests onto a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath to catch any drippings.

Once you’ve finished coating the pasta with the warmed honey, you can decorate the nests with your choice of toppings.

And really anything goes here. Be as creative as you like!

What Happens If You Deep Fry Noodles?

As with deep frying anything you don’t want a too low heat because it’ll just absorb too much oil. The opposite is true if you’re using heat that’s too high. The end result is an over-browned, dry and brittle nest.

Thin noodles such as fettuccine, linguine or capellini fry well at 350 degrees F. And they’re ready in under a minute so pay close attention. Don’t walk away from the hot oil.

The end result are golden hued nests with crispy and crunchy sweet bites. Almost pretzel-like in texture, except sweeter. Perfect little nibbles to munch on!

These deep fried pasta treats are the base for different toppings!

I topped the fettuccine with crushed pistachios which makes a lovely contrast to the honey-soaked nests.

And I did the same with the linguine but also added some candy coated chocolate eggs for this Easter celebration.

As for the capellini, in the photo above, I topped the fried pasta shapes with Easter coloured sprinkles. These tiny pearl shaped sprinkles are a great match to the thinner noodle.

My family thoroughly enjoyed these sweet crispy pasta nests and devoured them in no time at all. They will most certainly be making a reappearance for Easter Sunday.

Other Traditional Easter Desserts You’ll Love

Pastiera Napoletana Recipe is a traditional Italian citrus scented, wheat berry and ricotta pie. A must have during the Easter holiday!
Italian Rice and Ricotta Pie is an elegant lemon flavoured rice pie, encased in a flaky phyllo dough crust. It’s easier to make than it looks!
Chocolate Orange Ricotta Tart A simple yet elegant tart made with a pasta frolla dough. This orange scented tart is made with both ricotta and mascarpone cheese and of course chocolate. It is pure heaven!

Happy Baking!

This recipe was originally posted April 7th 2017 and republished April 2nd 2021 with updated photos and content.

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Sweet Crispy Easter Pasta Nests

Turn fresh egg pasta into irresistible Sweet Crispy Pasta Nests. They're deep fried, golden hued treats dipped in honey and then topped with candy coated chocolate Easter eggs, pistachios and sprinkles.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Sweet Crispy Pasta Nests

Servings:

Calories: 78kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

450 grams fresh egg fettuccine, linguine or capellini or 150 grams of each for variety
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying

Orange Infused Honey

1 cup honey
orange zest from 1 orange
1 tablespoon brandy

Choice Of Toppings

Mini candy coated chocolate Easter eggs
pistachios crushed
coloured sprinkles

Instructions

Forming The Pasta Nests

Have 2 baking sheets nearby.
Using 2 or 3 strands of pasta at a time, twirl between your index and middle fingers shaping into a nest.
The amount of times you twirl the pasta around your fingers will depend on the length of the pasta strands. Just make sure you have a slight overhang to loop the extra length under the nest and back up through the middle.
Carefully place the pasta nest onto the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining fresh pasta.
Allow to rest and dry out slightly so they don't come apart in the hot oil.

Deep Frying The Nested Pasta

In a heavy bottom stock pot or dutch oven, heat about 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees. (use a thermometer for accuracy)
Carefully drop in the pasta nests, frying 3 at a time until they're golden in colour. It took me about 20 seconds to fry 3 at a time.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
Continue frying the remaining pasta nests.

Orange Infused Honey

Place the honey, orange zest and brandy in a small stock pot and heat till barley a simmer while stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and dip the pasta nests into the honey mixture, turning to coat all over.
Transfer the honey nests onto a cooling rack. Make sure to place a cookie sheet under the rack to catch any drips.
Top with candy coated chocolate Easter eggs, crushed pistachios or sprinkles.
Keep the pasta nests covered in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Ciambella Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

March 27, 2021 by Marisa 32 Comments

Ciambella Italian Lemon Sponge Cake is a traditional Italian ring shaped cake. It’s so incredibly light with an airy fluffy crumb and infused with both the juice and zest of lemons. It makes for one very simple yet elegant dessert recipe.

Italians are notoriously known for their dolci, or rather sweet treats. Especially those yummy morsels that we leisurely love to dip in a steaming cup of coffee, tea or even milk.

It’s customary for us to break our morning fast with a biscotto, cornetto (little horn) which is not unlike a French croissant or even a brioche.

After all, aren’t mornings made for this?.

And, have I mentioned how much we love our sweets?

What is a Ciambella?

Ciambella is essentially referred to any round ring shaped cake, doughnut or even tiny ring cookies such as these lemon glazed Ciambelle Cookies. And also these rope shaped Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies.

But some would also call this type of Italian cake, a Ciambellone which references its larger shape.

In terms of simplicity, it probably doesn’t get much easier than this to make.

It’s all with ingredients you most likely already have on hand and you can whip up at a moments notice.

Shall we get started!

How To Make A Traditional Italian Lemon Cake

Step One: In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder and then set this aside.

Step Two: In a separate large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar on medium high speed for about 2 minutes. The egg and sugar mixture should be pale yellow in colour.

Step Three: Mix in the oil, water, vanilla, lemon zest and juice to the egg mixture.

Step Four: Mix in the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat till smooth. Make sure to stop and scrape down the bowl if using a stand mixer.

Step Five: Pour the cake batter into a greased bundt pan.

Step Six: Bake the Italian lemon cake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F., for about 45 minutes.

When ready the top of the cake will have a golden brown colour and will feel firm to the touch.

You can also check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer on top of the ciambella cake. If it comes out dry then the cake is ready!

Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for about 10 minutes. Take a butter knife or offset spatula and run it around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cake.

Do take care not to scratch the non stick finish of your bundt pan. You don’t want to ruin a beautiful decorative bundt pan!

When you’re ready to serve this simple lemon cake, all it needs is a dusting of powdered or confectioner’s sugar.

You can enjoy this Italian breakfast cake accompanied with your morning cup of coffee or tea. Or simply a cold glass of milk if you so wish!

This Italian cake would also be great as an anytime dessert when you’re craving an easy to make lemon sponge cake.

How to prepare a bundt pan for a Ciambella Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

Decorative cake pans can elevate a simple sponge cake to one of pretty elegance that would grace any table quite beautifully.

However, with all their intricate patterns and nooks and crevices, it can be quite a chore to release the cake with its pretty shape all intact.

I love, love decorative Bundt pans but although they have a non stick finish I always grease them.

One product I always use is Cake Release from Wilton. This is not a sponsored post and I’m not compensated in any way.

It has the consistency of softened butter and a little goes a long way.

I use a pastry brush so that all the sides and crevices are properly coated. You’ll want to brush the centre cone as well.
Hold up the pan near a light source just to make sure you don’t miss a spot. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.
With the Cake Release product I don’t need to flour my pan.
If your choice of coating is melted butter, then consider using a pastry brush just the same for even distribution and then lightly dust with flour.
Make sure to tap any excess flour out over your kitchen sink. You don’t want any sticky flour residue over your cake.

Having said that, if you have another foolproof method that works for you, then use that and maybe share it in the comments below.

I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Baking!

Other Italian cake recipes you’ll love:

This recipe was originally published Sept. 13 2019 and republished March 27 2021 with new photos and content.

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4.32 from 16 votes

Ciambella, Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

A Ciambella is an Italian cake that is baked in a round cake tin. It's a typical Italian lemon breakfast cake that's light and spongy and so incredibly easy to make.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Ciambella, Italian Lemon Sponge Cake

Servings:

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Bundt Pan

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
lemon zest from 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
powdered sugar for dusting over the cake

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a bundt pan and set aside.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat together the eggs with the sugar on medium high for about 2 minutes or until creamy and pale in colour.
Add in the oil, water, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and mix till combined.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until smooth and the batter falls into a ribbon like flow when the beaters are lifted.
Make sure to scrape down the bowl if using a stand mixer.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown in colour and firm to the touch.
Alternately, you can insert a toothpick to check for doneness.
If the wooden toothpick inserted inside comes out clean, you'll know the cake is done.
Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for about 10 minutes.
Loosen the edges with an offset spatula or butter knife. Take care not to scratch the non stick finish of your bundt pan.
Gently invert onto a wire rack to release the cake and allow to cool completely.
When ready to serve dust with confectioners sugar, slice and enjoy!

Nutrition

Castagnole Fritte (Italian Carnival Fritters)

February 17, 2021 by Marisa 29 Comments

Castagnole Fritte, Italian Carnival Fritters are sweet, deep fried dough balls. These Italian-style fritters are lemon scented and rolled in granulated sugar while still warm for an extra sweet bite!

Although immensely popular during Carnival season in Italy, these Italian fritters always made an appearance up until our Easter holiday.

Lemon was the choice of flavour for both my parents and the only way dad would eat them. Simply because, they evoked memories of his own mamma whipping up batches of these castagnole with their very familiar lemon scent.

They were typically served on a large platter, piled high, and these sweet carnival fritters would disappear in a flash.

Italian Carnival Fritters

In Italy, there’s no shortage of deep fried treats during Carnival season! They’re the quintessential party snack during these festivities!

You’ll find many variations of fluffy, deep fried dough balls. Both sweet and savoury fritters. Their names will also vary depending on which part of Italy one hails from.

Unlike the popular Zeppole doughnuts with ricotta, these castagnole fritte are leavened with yeast.

They require a teeny bit more work and of course there’s also the rising time to factor in, but they are so worth it in my opinion.

However, if a yeasted dough is not your thing then consider trying some Italian Orange Frittelle: Fried Dough Balls. There’s not much hands on time to these sweet fritters. They are orange scented and partially made with finely ground almonds.

All are soft on the inside! Slightly crunchy on the outside! And totally irresistible!

How To Make Italian Castagnole Fritte

Step One: Place a half cup if warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let this stand until the yeast turns frothy, for about 10 minutes. Then stir to dissolve.

Step Two: Add in 1 cup of flour, a pinch of salt and stir the mixture until you have a soft batter.

Step 3: Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside, for 30 minutes, in a draft free area of your kitchen.

You’ll notice that the dough will expand after the first initial 30 minutes of rising time.

Step 4: Add the remaining flour, sugar, beaten eggs, zest, butter and vanilla extract to your bowl with the proofed dough. Mix with a wooden spoon till well incorporated. Then transfer the dough to a work surface and knead by hand for about 6 minutes.

You can also knead the dough directly in the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment for about 3 minutes.

When ready it will pull away from the sides of the bowl and will be soft, smooth and slightly tacky.

Step 5: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm draft free area for about 1 and a half to 2 hours. Or until doubled in size.

Step 6: Once Doubled in size, transfer the dough onto a work surface, lightly press it down with your hands and knead the dough for about 1 minute.

Step 7: Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough out into an 18 inch long rope. Then slice each long rope into 1 inch pieces and transfer the cut pieces onto a lightly floured baking sheet.

You can leave the pieces as is or, to make rounder dough balls, gently roll each piece of dough between the palms of your hands.

Deep Frying Italian Sweet Dough Balls

Pour 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil in a stock pot.
Heat to 375 degrees F.
Deep fry the fritters till golden on all sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer the fried dough balls to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain off any excess oil.

All that’s left to do before enjoying these sweet carnival fritters is to roll them in granulated sugar while still warm.

How Long Do Castagnole Fritte Stay Fresh

Like any deep fried doughnut, they’re at their best eaten the same day while still warm and soft because they get slightly drier after a day or two.

However, 10 seconds in the microwave will quickly soften them up again.

How to Serve Castagnole Fritte

Although wonderful all on their own while rolled in some granulated sugar, you can also fill them with your favourite jams. Nutella or other chocolate spreads would also be a delicious choice.

To fill these sweet fritters start by poking a hole in the doughnut.
Place the jam in a piping bag that is fitted with a round tip. Pipe in up to 1 teaspoon of filling into each doughnut.

Alternately, you can also fill the doughnuts with custard or even some lemon curd.

Or opt out of the filling and top them with a drizzle of some good quality chocolate spread and don’t forget the Carnival sprinkles!

And one can never go wrong with a luscious drizzle of honey over these sweet dough balls.

Whichever way you serve them, they’re sure to disappear in a flash!

And if you love doughnuts as much as I do and have some canned pumpkin lying around, you may want to try these easy to make Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)

Happy Baking!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This post was originally published March 23, 2016 and republished February 17, 2021 with updated photos and content.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Castagnole Fritte (Italian Carnival Fritters)

Castagnole Fritte are Italian sweet fritters. These sweet deep fried dough balls are rolled in granulated sugar and traditionally served this way but you can also fill them with jam or custard. Or simply drizzle with your favourite dark chocolate.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: carnival fritter, Castagnole Fritte, doughnuts, fritter

Servings: doughtnuts

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

8 g active dry yeast 1 envelope
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 cups all purpose flour
generous pinch of salt I used fine sea salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature)
2 tablespoons lemon zest from 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
vegetable or canola oil for deep frying
3/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling approximately

Instructions

Sprinkle the yeast in a bowl containing 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and let this sit for a 10 minutes, till frothy, then stir to dissolve.
Add in 1 cup of the flour, a pinch of salt and stir till you get a soft batter. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let this sit for about 30 minutes.
Next, stir in the remaining flour, sugar, the lightly beaten eggs, lemon zest, butter and vanilla extract. Mix well.
If kneading by hand: Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for about 6 minutes. The dough should be soft, smooth and just a little bit sticky.
If using a stand mixer: Knead the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for about 3 minutes. When ready the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and feel somewhat tacky.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl.
Cover with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a warm draft free place for 1 to 1 ½ hours. The dough will double in volume.
When ready transfer the dough to a work surface, lightly punch it down with your hands and knead it for about 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Keep the dough covered with a clean dishcloth while working with 1 piece of dough at a time. (this will keep the dough from drying out)
Roll each piece of dough out into approximately an 18 inch long rope. (keep covered with clean dish cloth)
Cut each rope into one inch pieces and roll each piece of dough in the palm of your hands for rounder shapes.
Place the dough balls onto a lightly floured baking sheet. (keep covered)
Pour 2 inches of oil in a medium sized sauce pan or dutch oven and heat to 375* degrees. (use a deep frying thermometer for accuracy)
When the oil has reached 375 degrees F, carefully drop in about 6 pieces of dough at a time. (This will also depend on the size of your sauce pan). Don't over crowd them.
When the fritters are golden on one side, flip over to the other side.
Once golden brown on both sides, use a slotted spoon and drain the castagnole on paper towels.
Roll the castagnole in granulated sugar turning to coat all over.
Serve while still warm, piled high on a serving platter.
For a festive Carnival appeal you can drizzle them with warm melted chocolate and top with sprinkles.

Notes

Temperature for deep frying castagnole

When deep frying the fritters try to keep the temperature of the oil at 375 degrees F. At this temperature they'll absorb minimal oil. If too hot they will over brown on the outside and will be raw on the inside.

Deep frying a small batch of 6 pieces at a time should take about 2 minutes approximately.

Reheating leftovers

As with any deep fried fritters, they're at their best served while still warm.

However, any leftovers can be heated in the microwave for about 10 seconds, a few at a time.

They'll turn out soft, fluffy and just as yummy as freshly made.

Nutrition

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