Dove cake for Easter: the Italian Colomba Pasquale

The Dove cake is the traditional Easter cake, in Italy during that holiday you CANNOT miss it. It is the symbol of peace and love, and it is common to have it at the end of Easter lunch among your family. There are multiple recipes for this cake, different for every region of Italy, and sometimes very complicate.

The recipe I propose to you today is easy but still tasty and traditional. I love adding dark chocolate drops instead of the candied orange. You may add what you prefer: dries grapes, chocolate, candied orange, …

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To be totally compliant to the tradition the Dove cake needs to have the particular shape that you can see in the main picture of this post, you may find the baking pan to obtain that shape on any online store

PRINTABLE FORMAT

INGREDIENTS

• 120 grams butter
• 250 grams of sugar
• 5 eggs
• zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange – both organic
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 and an half glasses of whole milk or soy milk
• 400 grams of flour – I love the organic flour
• 2 tablespoon baking yeast
• 100 grams icing sugar
• 1 cup of chocolate chips or candied orange
• 2 cups sliced ​​almonds
• half of a cup of granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. An hour before starting the preparation of the main part of the recipe, put the butter out of the fridge to make it softer. Alternatively you can use the micrewave for 30 seconds
   
2. Mix the butter with the soft sugar with the help of an electric mixer
   
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, putting the yolks in the bowl with the sugar mixed to the butter
   
4. Don’t’ forget to keep aside a egg white, we will need that later!
5. Whip the 4 egg whites and a pinch of salt with electric mixer and set aside
   
6. Add to yolks to the mixture of butter and sugar. Mix them well with an electric mixer
   
7. Add the milk, and mix again; add also orange zest and grated lemon
     
8. Meanwhile turn the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F)
9. Add to the mixture the flour and the baking powder. You can mix with the whip by hand or with the electric one. If necessary add a little  bit of milk
   
10. When everything is mixed well, add the egg whites and mix
     
11. Add the chocolate chips (or candied orange)
    
12. Pour the mixture in the typical mold dove shaped, and we make a cross in the center
    
13. Add sliced ​​almonds on top and bake. The overall cooking will take around 40 minutes
    
14. Prepare the glaze, stirring well with a fork 1 egg white kept aside and the powdered sugar, adding a cup of sliced ​​almonds
    
15. After 25 minutes of cooking, add on top of the cake icing, granulated sugar and almond flakes
16. Bake again and cook for another 15 minutes
    
17. Let the Colomba cool for 15 minutes and serve with mascarpone cream, here its recipe.
18. Enjoy your dove cake and Buon Appetito Buona Pasqua with Easy Italian Cuisine!