Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a quick and easy version of Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, a flat cake served by Florentines during their extended Carnival season. The cake is flavored with orange zest and extra virgin olive oil and, while it can be made with yeast, this version is leavened with baking soda and can be assembled in about 15 minutes. It's a lovely cake. It's lighter than an American sponge cake and it has an unusual, but very pleasant, fruity flavor. It is best served for dessert and it's wonderful with a slightly sweet fortified wine. I learned to make a version of this cake in the kitchen of an Italian neighbor when I was a child. There are, literally, hundreds of recipes for this treat. I like this one because it so nicely blends the flavors of the Tuscan orange and olive groves. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil if you decide to make this. Anything else would be too strong for a dessert cake. It is also very important to make sure the cake is completely cooked before it's removed from the oven. Test in several areas, not just in the center of the cake. This is a moist cake and will stay fresh for several days if properly wrapped and refrigerated. Oh, before I forget, schiacciata is pronounced ski-ah-CHA-ta. I'm quite sensitive to this. I was able to make the cake long before I could pronounce its name and there was a lot of good natured teasing at my expense. Here's the recipe.

Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite and La Cucina Italiana

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar for dusting cake

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan with wax or parchment paper. Grease and flour pan. Set aside.
2) Whisk eggs, sugar, orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and milk in a two cup measure. Whisk into egg mixture. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into egg mixture until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
3) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from pan. Invert on rack to complete cooling. Sprinkle a liberal layer of confectioners' sugar over top of cake before serving. Yield: 9 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Mediterranean Chocolate Cake with Lemon and Olive Oil - One Perfect Bite
Biscotti Regina - One Perfect Bite
Pizzelles - One Perfect Bite

Eggs Florentine

This is one of my favorite breakfast-for-dinner treats. It also works well for brunch and holiday mornings. Some multiplication or division will right-size the recipe and make it perfect for your family. I've never been good with this kind of leftover, so, rather than put myself in a pitch or toss dilemma, I do a head count. For every person being fed an 8-ounce custard cup, 1/2 cup sauteed spinach, 1 egg, 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 to 3 tablespoons coarsely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese is required. Once the spinach is prepared this becomes an assembly line entree. As a rule of thumb, 8-ounces of uncooked spinach will wilt to half a cup when cooked, so plan accordingly. I use a wok to saute the spinach because of its high sides. The spinach can be prepared well in advance of assembly but I wouldn't complete the package too far ahead of serving. You can use reduced fat dairy products but if you go too far your eggs Florentine will become baked eggs with green stuff. Here's the recipe.

Baked Eggs Florentine

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, stems removed
4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Coarse sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray four 8-ounce custard cups or ramekins with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
1) Heat a large wok or high-sided pan over medium high heat. Add oil. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add spinach and cook, moving bottom to top until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander and allow to drain.
2) Place 1/2 cup spinach in each ramekin. Make a well in center. Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons cream into each cup. Crack one egg into each well. Sprinkle each with cheese. Top each ramekin with 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Place on a baking sheet.
3) Transfer to oven and bake until egg white is just set, about 10 to 12 minutes. At this point, yoke will be cook but still runny. If you prefer firm yolks continue cooking until done to your liking. Transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle top of ramekins with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper. Serve piping hot. Yield: 4 servings.