Pizza dolce teramana

Pizza dolce is the festive cake of the province of Teramo. It is made of sponge cut into three or four discs, soaked in alchermes and other liqueurs and layered with custard and chocolate cream.

It is covered with meringue or icing and decorated with almonds or sugar sprinkles. The red of the alchermes, visible when you cut it, is its unmistakable sign.

For the sponge (the day before)

• 6 eggs
• 200 g sugar
• 200 g plain flour
• Grated zest of one lemon

For the creams

• 1 litre milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g flour or cornflour
• Zest of one lemon
• 100 g dark chocolate

For the syrup

• 200 ml water
• 100 g sugar
• 1 small glass of alchermes
• 1 small glass of rum or orange liqueur

For the topping

• 3 egg whites
• 150 g sugar
• Toasted flaked almonds

1. The day before: whisk the eggs with the sugar for 15 minutes until tripled in volume; fold in the sifted flour and lemon zest, pour into a buttered tin and bake at 170 °C for 40 minutes. Leave covered until the next day.
2. Make the custard: heat the milk with the lemon zest; whisk the yolks with the sugar and flour, pour in the hot milk and return to the heat, stirring until thick. Divide in two and melt the chopped chocolate into one half. Cover with film and let cool.
3. Make the syrup: dissolve the sugar in hot water and, once cool, add the liqueurs; keep half of the syrup with alchermes only.
4. Cut the sponge into three discs. Soak the first with the alchermes syrup and cover with plain custard; soak the second with the other syrup and cover with chocolate cream; finish with the third soaked disc.
5. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar into a glossy meringue and cover the whole cake; brown it for a few minutes in a hot oven or with a torch.
6. Decorate with toasted almonds and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

• Do not over-soak the sponge: the syrup should moisten it, not drench it.
• The cake is better the next day, once the flavours have come together.
• Instead of meringue you can use whipped cream or sugar icing.

We do not have photos of this sweet yet: the image is an illustration made for this page. If you have a photo to share, write to us.

Pizza dolce was born in Teramo homes as the cake for great occasions: weddings, christenings, communions and patron saint festivals. It was made in large tins and taken to the village oven.

In Abruzzo the word «pizza» has always also meant baked sweets: «pizza dolce» is thus different from «pizza di Pasqua», the leavened cake of the spring feasts.