Sweet Casatiello: the quick recipe for Neapolitan Easter cake

Illinois sweet cabinalso known in the Caserta area as Easter pine coneit’s a ancient yeast from the bell tradition, the sweet and lesser-known version of the salty casatiello. Widespread, especially in the Phlegrean and coastal area, it is a typical dessert of the Holy Week festivities, usually prepared together with the classic pastry.

According to tradition, it is made with a dough made from strong flour, eggs, sourdoughalso called “Criscito” in Neapolitan dialect, and fragrant scents such as vanilla, lemon zest and orange blossom. It is characterized by the laborious elaboration and the very long yeast, which can take up to 2 days. Originally, the dough contained a lot lard and decorate with icing and sparkler colors made the children happy.

Like all traditional recipes, even the one for the sweet casatiello is passed down from family to family, with some variations. We offer you the version with the yeast, faster than sourdough, and also suitable for those who don’t have sourdough available or don’t feel savvy enough to buy it at the bakery and proceed with the snack. The leaven, or biga, in fact, is made with the fresh brewer’s yeastand ensures excellent results in terms of softness and goodness.

Preparing the sweet casatiello, therefore, is less complex than it seems, but requires a minimum of dexterity and patience for the fermentation times: once the yeast is done, we dedicate ourselves to the dough, we transfer it to a mold with high edges . and we let it rise; finally, cook for an hour, let cool and decorate with glaze and colored devils.

Discover the recipe and the tricks to prepare the sweet casatiello and enjoy it in breakfast either sandwich, along with a cup of hot tea. If you liked this recipe, try making Easter donuts and donuts.

How to prepare sweet casatiello

The recipe for the sweet casatiello is passed down from generation to generation, as is the mother yeast present inside. In our version, however, we prepare the yeast: a previous dough, which will give the preparation a softness and lightness similar to that of the so-called “CriscitoThen, we move on to the dough itself, which requires very long leavening, and finally, we make the glaze for the final decoration.

How to prepare the yeast and the dough for the sweet casatiello

Before making the dough itself for the sweet casatiello, it is important to prepare the yeast (biga) or, alternatively, refresh the mother yeast. For the yeast recipe, in a bowl we put the warm water and sugar. Add the fresh brewer’s yeast (1 ) and the flour. Knead by hand or with the hook of the planetary mixer and leave to rise for 1 hour.

To prepare the sweet casatiello dough, start by breaking the eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar and beat with an electric mixer or planetary mixer for 5/6 minutes. 2until mixture is puffy and foamy.

Add the grated zest and lemon juice 3. Next, perfume with vanilla.

pour the liquor 4then mix gently with a hand mixer.

Also add flour 5 and the biga (or sourdough), and work the mixture by hand or in a planetary mixer. Add the butter little by little: you will need to obtain a hydrated and homogeneous dough.

Put the dough into a mold with high edges (a classic panettone mold will also work or, as in our case, a donut mold). Level the dough with the help of a spoon. 6 and let it rise for 12 hours (even 24 hours if you use sourdough), in a warm place like the oven off or next to a heat source. After rising, bake the sweet casatiello in the oven at 170°C for about an hour: the dough should reach the edges of the pan. Once the cooking time is up, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a cake rack for at least 2 hours. Do the toothpick test anyway: insert it into the center, and if it comes out clean, it’s done; vice versa, if it is still wet, continue another 5/10 minutes.

How to prepare the cherry and decorate the sweet casatiello

At this point, prepare the glaze by vigorously mixing the egg white with the icing sugar, until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Before pouring the icing on the cake, remember to let it cool completely: this way it won’t melt too much, ruining the scenic effect. Pour the glaze over the surface of the donut. 7decorate with the colored devils and let thicken.

As soon as the icing has completely set, the sweet casatiello or the Easter pine cone will be ready to be brought to the table. 8.

Advice

To give the sweet casatiello an even more aromatic flavor, you can prepare the cake in advance mix of aromas (zest and lemon juice, witch’s liqueur and vanilla) and let it macerate for 12 minerals. You can also add orange blossom extract cheer up either orange paste for a citrus flavor. Also, you can replace the witch’s liquor with of brandyof the Vermouth or of Italian lemon liqueur.

For this recipe, you can also use lard oh hungry instead of butter. If you have sourdough available, call “Criscito“, at home, you will need them 150 grams: refresh it 3/4 hours before making the dough to make the most of its leavening power and extend the leavening time up to 24 hours.

For firmer frosting and opaque white, add another tablespoon or two of powdered sugarwhile to make it more sparklingadd a few drops of lemon juice.

To easily loosen the casatiello cake from the pan, butter the pan or use a cake remover.

storage

Thanks to the slow and prolonged yeast, the sweet casatiello stays soft room temperature until 5 days, wrapped with a sheet of transparent film. you can too freeze iteven better in slices, and consume it inside 1-2 months.