Schiacciata alla Fiorentina (Florentine Carnival Cake)

a soft, fragrant cake traditionally made during Carnival season. It’s light, subtly sweet, and flavored with orange zest, often dusted with powdered sugar and marked with the Florentine lily in cocoa powder.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
6 tbsp olive oil
½ cup warm milk
1 large orange zested; and ¼ cup juice
2¼ cups flour
1-½ tsp baking powder`
powdered sugar for coating top of cake
baking cocoa for sprinkling on top of cake design

Equipment

1 9x7 inch pan

Method

Download a free image of a fleur de lis and cut out a stencil design from it. Set aside.
Butter a 9 x 7 inch or other similar pan and line it with parchment paper. Butter the paper and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F
Beat eggs with sugar until fluffy. Add milk and olive oil and beat a couple of minutes. Add juice and zest and beat in.
Sift flour with baking powder and add in increments to the egg mixture until well blended. Pour into prepared and bake for about 12 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out clean and the cake is firm to the touch.
Cool cake completely on a wire rack. Turn cake pan upside down and remove parchment paper. Turn cake right side up and place it on a serving dish. Dust the cake completely with Confectioners sugar. Place the stencil design in the middle of the cake. Use a small sieve to fill in the stencil with baking cocoa powder. Carefully lift the stencil design to reveal the fleur di lis. Cut into squares.

Notes

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Recipe Courtesy of: Ciao Italia: https://www.ciaoitalia.com/recipes/tuscan-carnival-cake-schiacciata-alla-fiorentina