Torta Stracciatella!
Styling: Anita Parise & Renee Lenzarini
Blog: Anita Parise
Photography & Video: Anita Parise with Renee Lenzarini
Recipe & Inspiration: Easter & Mother’s Day!
Hello GR Fans!
I hope you all had a lovely Easter, filled with good food, family and lots of chocolate!
My Easter – being typically Italian – was spent eating way too much food and over indulging on chocolates! CHOCOLATES … OH. MY. GOODNESS. – my pantry is filled with them!
For those who don’t know me, I have two boys ((well three if you include my husband 😊), who received many chocolate treats over this holiday. And boy, do they know it. They are constantly finding my hiding spots (yes I have to hide my chocolate), and sneaking an egg or bunny or two or three and leaving only the evidence – scrunched up wrappers for me to find!
Chatting to Renee over this time we agreed that I was not alone in this dilemma of having so much chocolate in the house. So it was easily decided that a chocolate recipe was in order!
We found a great recipe for a Torta Stracciatella, which is basically a chocolate chip cake. The word ‘stracciatella’ is a diminutive of straccia (“rag” or “shred”), meaning “a little shred.” Stracciatella has a few culinary meanings in Italy. It is most commonly known as a type of soup with beaten egg through it (which is delicious by the way!) It is also a type of gelato similar to chocolate chip but the chocolate in stracciatella is usually less chunky and more evenly distributed with a smooth, delicate and crunchy texture. YUM!
So why not apply this concept and put it into a cake? The result – a wonderfully fragrant, textural and chocolaty cake, perfect to be enjoyed with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee … or if you like a sweet treat at breakfast (don’t tell my kids I said that!) Either way, you can use as much or as little chocolate as you like but I have to admit using up my chocolate has never been this satisfying! I can finally say, “Sorry dear, there is no chocolate left!”
We pimped this cake up with a silky smooth white chocolate butter cream, topping it with some beautiful fresh roses from my garden. You can keep it simple or adorn it with various types of chocolates – I was planning on some ferrero’s but admittedly, they are my faves and I have put them in my secret stash for emergencies only … we all have one of those spots right?! Whatever you choose, it will be delicious and a perfect way to use up of ALL THAT CHOCOLATE! Well, most of it anyways!
Our styling this month was basic, fresh and feminine. Paying homage to all the Mums out there who work their hearts out to provide for their families, who love unconditionally, and sacrifice all they have for happy, healthy children. To all the mums who are no longer with us, and to all the mums who are just getting by. We appreciate you, value you, and are blessed to have known you. After all, a mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.
We wish all our Mum fans out there a wonderful Mothers Day, filled with love, laughter and hopefully a present or two!
Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Anita, Renee & the GR Team
Ingredients
- 3 whole eggs
- ¾ cup of caster sugar
- 100g Butter softened to room temperature
- 2 cups of SR flour sifted
- ½ cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 heaped teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 heaped tablespoons of natural yoghurt
- 2 x 50g chocolate eggs, chopped (we used Red Tulip) * you can add as much or as little of this as you please depending on how chocolaty you want the cake
- ** Optional Addition ** 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (add this into your milk should you use this ingredient)
Method
- Pre heat oven to 180 Fan Forced.
- Grease and line base and sides of a 24cm diameter tin with baking paper.
- Soften the butter to room temperature and set aside.
- Sift the flour and set aside.
- Roughly chop the chocolate of your choice and set aside.
- Beat the eggs and the sugar on a moderate to high speed until thick, pale and doubled in size.
- Add the softened butter and continue mixing.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda and yoghurt. Dropping to a moderate speed, continue to mix well.
- Add the milk in slowly, then add the sifted flour a bit at a time incorporating it well at each addition.
- Once the mixture is thick and well combined add in your chopped chocolate and stir with a spoon ensuring the chocolate is distributed evenly among the batter.
- Finally pour in the batter and even it out in the cake tin.
- Bake for 40 – 50 minutes (we recommend checking at the 40 minute mark by inserting a skewer in the centre of the cake – it should come out with a few crumbs on it – keeping in mind that it will continue to cook slightly in the tin once removed from the oven)
- Cool the cake on a wire rack. Once completely cool decorate as you please.
