Giorgios family feasts: Paradise cake  (2024)

Big Family Cooking Showdown judge Giorgio Locatelli shares the delicious Italian dishes he cooks at home in his new book

This is one of those lovely, soft, light Genoese-style cakes that at one time everyone baked at home. My grandmother used to keep a box on top of the cupboard in our kitchen that was decorated with angels holding a cake. Inside were lots of packets of Lievito Pane degli Angeli, baking powder enhanced with vanilla, which is something every Italian family knows. It made sense to me that angels would be in charge of paradise cake – Italians always like to believe in miracles. I was so fascinated by the packets that one day I climbed up to taste the powder inside, which of course was disappointingly horrible.

Makes 1 x 18cm cake

• 250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes, plus a little extra for greasing
• 300g (10½oz) caster sugar
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs, separated, plus 4 egg yolks
• 50g (1¾oz) extra-virgin olive oil
• 100g (3½oz) plain yoghurt
• 150g (5½oz) plain flour
• 100g (3½oz) cornflour
• 3tsp baking powder
• Strawberry jam (optional)
• Icing sugar, for dusting

For the cream

• 70g (2½oz) caster sugar
• 35g (1¼oz) cornflour
• 100ml (3½oz) whipping cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 400ml (14fl oz) full-fat milk

Grease an 18cm round cake tin, with a removable base, with a little butter and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3. In a bowl using a wooden spoon, or in a food processor, cream the butter with half the sugar and all the vanilla seeds and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.

Whisk in the 8 egg yolks, one by one. In a separate bowl mix together the olive oil and yoghurt, then whisk into the butter mixture. Sift together the flour, cornflour and baking powder and whisk half into the mixture, then, when fully incorporated, whisk in the rest.

Preferably using a food processor, whisk the egg whites with the rest of the caster sugar until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, gently fold into the cake mixture, trying to keep as much air in as possible. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and put into the preheated oven for around 1 hour, until springy.

Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack, then slice horizontally in half or into thirds. To make the cream, mix the sugar, cornflour and whipping cream in a bowl, then mix in the egg yolks. Bring the milk to the boil in a small pan, then take off the heat and slowly whisk into the egg and sugar mixture.

Pour the mixture into a clean pan and whisk over a low heat until it comes to the boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, whisking all the time until you have a custard consistency. Transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming, and leave to cool.

Sandwich the layers of cake together with the cream (and the strawberry jam, if using) and dust with icing sugar.

Made At Home: The Food I Cook For The People I Love by Giorgio Locatelli is published by Fourth Estate, priced £26. To order a copy for £20.80, p&p free, visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640. Offer valid until 8 October 2017.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.