Torta paradiso
Torta paradiso, “paradise cake”, comes from Pavia in Lombardy. It is credited to the local pastry cook Enrico Vigoni in the second half of the 19th century and has been a classic of the town’s pasticcerie ever since. It is built on butter, icing sugar, eggs, and flour with potato starch in roughly equal proportions, plus a little lemon zest and vanilla, yet the crumb is so tender it melts in the mouth. The secret is the starch, which replaces half the flour, and long creaming of the butter with the icing sugar. The cake has no cream and no glaze — a thick layer of icing sugar and an espresso are all it needs.
Your own work in that: 25 min.
- Batter 25 min
- Baking 50 min
- Cooling 90 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the ingredients
Take the butter and eggs out at least 2 hours ahead — the butter should be as soft as paste and the eggs at room temperature. Cold ingredients split the batter.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 170°C (top and bottom heat). Butter a 24 cm springform tin and line the base with paper.
Ingredients: 10 g butter for the tin · 3 tbsp icing sugar for dusting
Cream the butter
Beat the butter with the icing sugar, lemon zest and salt for 8–10 minutes, until almost white and very fluffy. This is the crucial step — the aeration here replaces whisked egg whites.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Almost white and fluffy — after 10 minutes.Add the eggs
Add the eggs and yolks alternately, one at a time, beating about a minute after each until absorbed. Add the vanilla. Freeze the 3 leftover whites for another bake.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Sift the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, starch and baking powder together — twice, so they blend and aerate well.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Sifted twice — a more tender crumb.Fold in
Fold the dry ingredients in with a spatula in three additions, gently, only until combined. Do not use the mixer again — the cake would lose its lightness.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Bake
Spread the batter in the tin, level it and bake 45–50 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean. Do not open the oven for the first 35 minutes.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, very soft · 250 g icing sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 3 pcs egg yolks · 130 g cake flour · 130 g potato starch · 1 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Cool and dust
Cool in the tin 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely — about 1.5 hours in all. Dust with a thick layer of icing sugar before serving.
Ingredients: 10 g butter for the tin · 3 tbsp icing sugar for dusting
A thick layer of icing sugar — as in Pavia.
Before you start
Why starch
Potato starch forms no gluten, so a cake with half starch instead of flour is more tender and crumbly. Do not swap it for flour — you would get an ordinary sponge.
Serving ideas
In Italy torta paradiso is eaten plain with coffee, or with mascarpone, lemon cream or fresh strawberries. It also makes a good layer for a gâteau.
Storage
Under a cloche or wrapped, it keeps 4 days at room temperature. It freezes in pieces for 2 months; dust with icing sugar only after thawing.
