Einkorn Italian Christmas Cake

Einkorn Italian Christmas Cake

Einkorn Italian Christmas Cake

Einkorn Italian Christmas Cake
This month’s recipe is my interpretation of a common Italian Christmas Cake—made with Einkorn Flour. When thinking about a recipe to share this month I first thought of cookies, however, cookies are not typically associated with this time of year in Italy, so I went for something that felt more... authentic to my Italian upbringing. Even though this type of cake is typically flavored with candied fruits, such as figs or raisins, I prefer to use lemon and orange zest instead. I feel this adds freshness to the cake and compliments the almonds and walnuts, which tend to be heartier.

I hope you enjoy this cake and give it a try this holiday season. Being an Italian style cake, it is not very sweet, but just sweet enough to make it either a great dessert or a perfect breakfast to have with a warm cup of coffee. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Love, Giulia

Baking Tips

● We encourage you to sift the flour in this recipe. It will prevent clumps and give your finished loaf a better texture.
● While we offer the cup measurements alongside grams, we always recommend weighing your ingredients using a scale.

Why jovial Einkorn Flour?

Einkorn is fast becoming the wheat of choice for the gluten sensitive due to its very weak and easily digestible gluten. It is higher in protein, B vitamins, carotenoids, and essential & trace minerals so you can be confident that your baking is more nutritious than when you use regular enriched wheat flour. Our flour is milled from organic einkorn wheat grown on small farms in Italy. You can find a range of einkorn flour options to buy online or find us at your local grocery store!

Einkorn Italian Christmas Cake

Ingredients

  • ½ cup whole almonds
  • ½ cup sliced almonds (for garnishing)
  • ½ cup shelled walnuts
  • 2 cups jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour (240 g)
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar (250 g)
  • ⅓ cup jovial Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 orange (zest)
  • 1 lemon (zest)
  • ¼ cup sugar crystals (Belgian pearl sugar) or powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of a nine-inch angel food cake pan or tube pan.
  2. Chop the almonds and walnuts into fine pieces with a large knife on a cutting board, make sure to cut them as small as possible, otherwise they will sink to the bottom of the batter. Set aside.
  3. In a medium-sized bowl sift the flour and then combine with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl, crack the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk them with a hand mixer or standing mixer on high until fluffy and doubled in size. Add the oil and continue whisking for another minute or two, then start gradually adding the dry mixture about a spoonful at a time. Continue whisking and adding flour until it is all incorporated.
  5. Add the milk to the mixture and fold in with a spatula until fully combined. Finally, add the zest of a lemon and the zest of an orange along with the chopped almonds and walnuts, fold these into the batter as well.
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and stir with the spatula, then sprinkle the sliced almonds and sugar crystal over the top of the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool at room temperature before serving.