Zuccotto Recipes

Steps:

• Cut cake in slices 1 cm (1/2") thick, cut each slice on the diagonal, making two triangular sections - this is so it will fit into 5 cup round based pudding basin.
• Combine brandy and Maraschino; carefully brush one side of each section of cake with this mixture.
• Place sections of cake unbrushed side against sides of tin, against the inside of.
• pudding bowl which as been lined with a layer of damp muslin; make sure the narrowest end of cake is on the bottom.
• Repeat process until the inside of the bowl is completely lined with cake; alternate crust and non-crust sides of cake to give striped effect; fill the gaps with pieces of moistened cake; trim edges of cake so they are level with top of basin; the left over cake will cover top when filled.
• Place almonds on oven tray, bake in moderate oven 5 minutes or until pale brown; remove from oven, cool.
• Chop almonds and hazelnuts roughly; chop 30g (1oz) chocolate, put aside; melt remaining chocolate in top of double saucepan over hot water.
• Whip together cream and sifted icing sugar until firms peaks form; fold nuts into mixture, divide mixture in half, fold chopped chocolate through one half and melted chocolate through the other.
• Spoon white cream mixture evenly over the entire cake surface, leaving a cavity in the centre of the bowl; spoon chocolate mixture into cavity.
• Moisten remaining cake with left over liqueur, arrange on top to cover surface completely; cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• Turn out carefully onto serving plate; if desired, dust top with combined sifted icing sugar and cocoa about one teaspoon of each.

Steps:

• Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and place in a kitchen towel. Rub the nuts inside the towel to remove their skins. Coarsely chop, and set aside.
• Mix together the water, 1/2 cup sugar, and liqueur in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool.
• Line a deep bowl that is 9 inch in diameter, and 5 inches deep with plastic wrap. Cut the rectangular sponge cake into 9 squares, and then cut each square in half diagonally, creating 19 pieces of sponge cake in total. Brush both sides of the sponge cake with the liqueur mixture, and fit them together in the lined bowl so the mold is completely lined. If you have any spaces visibles, use spare pieces of the sponge cake moistened with the syrup to fill in the holes. Trim the top edge of the bowl evenly, and place it in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
• Place the 2 cups of heavy cream with the icing sugar in a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until the cream is in stiff peaks. Carefully fold in the hazelnuts, chopped chocolate and raspberries. Remove the mold from the refrigerator, and spoon the filling into the lined mold. Place the round cake on top of the filling, cover everything with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 12 hours.
• Chop the chocolate finely, and place it in a bowl. Cook the cream until bubbly, and then pour it over the chocolate mixture. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes, and then stir it until it is smooth. Leave sitting at room temperature. It will get thicker as it sits, but you need a mixture that is spreadable, but thick enough to nicely coat the bottom of the mold.
• Remove the plastic wrap, place the cake on a wire rack top side down so the rounded end is on top, and remove the bowl. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the drips. Using a ladle, spoon the chocolate icing or ganache over the cake coating the entire surface. Decorate with extra hazelnuts and raspberries and serve.

Steps:

• Butter a 1 1/2-quart bowl and line it with plastic wrap. Slice a disk from the Pan di Spagna and cut the rest into 2 large wedges. Cut the wedges into thin slices and line the bowl with them. Sprinkle with the Strega. Reserve the disk to cover the filling later on.
• Combine the ricotta and confectioners' sugar in the food processor and process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Combine the Strega and gelatin and allow to soak until the liquid is absorbed, then place over simmering water to melt. Whisk the dissolved gelatin into the ricotta mixture. Whip the cream and fold it into the mixture. Fold in the almonds.
• Pour the filling into the prepared mold and cover with the reserved slice of the Pan di Spagna. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, about 6 hours. Invert the Zuccotto on the platter and remove the bowl and plastic wrap.
• For the meringue, combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of electric mixer and place over a pan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until egg whites are hot and sugar is dissolved. Whip on mixer until cooled and increased in volume.
• Spread meringue on outside of dessert. Pipe on a decoration of remaining meringue with a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube. Place Zuccotto in 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes to color meringue. Chill before serving.

Steps:

• Spray a 1 1/2-quart bowl lightly with vegetable spray. Line bottom and sides with cake, ensuring a tight fit to completely encase the filling. Sprinkle with liqueur and set aside.
• Whip cream until it holds soft peaks. Separately, beat ricotta and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fold together whipped cream and ricotta. Fold in half the nuts and candied fruit. Pour half the mixture over the cake. Make a well in the center large enough to hold the remaining cream mixture.
• Thoroughly blend remaining cream mixture with chocolate and cocoa powder, then spoon mixture into the well left in Step 2. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top, cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze until very firm, at least 6 hours.
• Fifteen minutes before serving, remove from freezer and invert onto a plate. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until skins begin to split, about 10 minutes. Rub warm nuts vigorously with a clean kitchen towel to remove skins. Return to baking sheet; toast until fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute more. Cool; coarsely chop. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and liqueur if using. Bring to a boil; stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside to cool completely. Line a 9-by-5-inch domed metal or glass bowl with plastic wrap.
• Cut rectangular sponge cake into thirds crosswise and lengthwise, making 9 rectangles. Reserve round sponge cake layer to use on top. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half, forming 18 triangles. Brush both sides of each triangle with some syrup. Line inside of bowl with triangle slices, pointed ends facing bottom of bowl, to form a sunburst pattern. Fit slices snugly so bowl is completely lined. Use small pieces of syrup-brushed cake to fill in gaps. Trim the cake top to make it even. Transfer lined bowl to refrigerator.
• Place cream and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium until stiff, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in reserved nuts, toffee, and raspberries. Remove lined bowl from refrigerator, fill with cream mixture, and cover top with cake round. This will become bottom of zuccotto when unmolded. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
• Place a wire rack on top of bowl, and invert zuccotto onto rack. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove bowl and plastic wrap. Using a ladle, pour ganache over top of dome, letting excess drip down sides onto rack. Make sure to coat entire surface of the zuccotto. Cut into wedges. Ladle with creme anglaise. Serve immediately, garnishedwith chopped toffee, nuts, and berries.