CIAMBELLA DI AGRUMI - ITALIAN CITRUS BUNDT CAKE

A no hassle, stress-free traditional cake of Italy using simple ingredients. This tasty citrus cake, which uses lemon juice and the zest of lemon and orange, is perfect for any time of the year but especially for the warmer months and makes for a great last minute dessert to whip-up for visitors.

Ciambella refers to the donut like shape and look of the cake. In Italy anything that resembles a donut shape can and most likely will be called a ciambella, and if it's big it will often be referred to as ciambellone! Ciambella can be a myriad of things from smally crispy cracker rings to anise flavoured type bread rings.

CIAMBELLA DI AGRUMI

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Total Time: 50 Minutes

Servings: 1 Bundt Cake for about 12 people

Ingredients:

Batter

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 milk at room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Italian vanilla baking powder

(see picture below or alternatively use 2 teaspoons regular baking powder)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(only if not using the Italian vanilla baking powder)

• Juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Zest of 1 orange

Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

4. Next, in a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on high-speed until they become thick, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Now, slowly add the sugar a bit at a time and continue to beat the mixture for approximately 3 minutes.

6. At a lower speed, add the oil, milk, vanilla extract (if not using the Italian vanilla baking powder) and lemon juice and beat until well combined.

7. Next, slowly add the dry ingredients a bit at a time and the lemon and orange zest and beat until combined. Stop mixing once combined - you don't want to over mix this batter.

8. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and immediately place it into the oven. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

9. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

10. Once the cake is cooled, you can begin to prepare your icing. Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice well.

11. Place the icing into a piping bag or freezer bag, snip the tip and create whatever design you like onto the cake. Alternatively, you can simply use a spoon to drizzle the icing onto the cake, which is old school Italian!

OR

You can simply dust some powdered sugar on top for a more simple and delicate approach, which is done most often in Italy.

Enjoy!

The right packet, Bertolini Lievito Vaniglinato (Vanilla Baking Powder), is the Italian baking powder I am referring to. If this is not available to you, you can simply use regular baking powder and vanilla extract.