The 100th blog post. A relatively small milestone in the hundreds of other milestones that I hope to one day reach in my life, but one that should be celebrated with something a little bit more special than usual. I had in mind a cake – after all, what is any celebration without a cake? So I consulted Marco, who must be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like sweets. If I’m going to celebrate, I want him to join in too – he is the reason that many of the recipes on this blog even exist. He’s my baker. My fresh pasta maker. My sommelier. He’s the offal lover. But he’s not the dessert eater.
There is, however, just one sweet thing that he absolutely cannot resist. He sneaks spoonfuls of it late at night, leaving for me to discover a chocolatey teaspoon sitting suspiciously in the sink the next morning, until an empty jar, not long after, appears in its place. The truth is, he can go through a jar of Nutella so fast that it’s hard to keep up. At one point, we discovered the Nocciolata by Rigoni di Asiago, a brand from northern Italy that make the most seriously delicious organic jams and spreads. Their Nocciolata is a slightly more rustic version of Nutella and once you’ve had it, it’s very, very hard to go back to eating Nutella, which tastes only of sugar and chemicals in comparison (hard to imagine, but it’s true). But the Rigoni di Asiago Nocciolata also costs $10 a jar here in Melbourne*, which is hard to justify when you have someone in the house who goes through it as quickly as he does. So we decided we need to make our own Nutella/Nocciolata at home.
We tried many, many recipes, looking for the perfect one, one that was nutty, creamy, not too sweet, not too chocolatey and that had simple, everyday ingredients so that it could easily be made with things straight out of the cupboard. We tried one that used just cocoa powder, no chocolate, and some olive oil. There was one with dark chocolate, no oil. Another with milk, dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Another that strained it for a smoother finish.
In the end, I found this one by Marte Marie Forsberg’s Le Voyage Creatif blog a very good start (and I love her photos) but it came out dry like breadcrumbs. I really think it all comes down to the quality of your hazelnuts, people – get some good ones! We then adjusted it to our tastes – less hazelnuts, milk chocolate (dark chocolate was good but tasted too strongly of dark chocolate) and a little more of it and just a bit of warm milk to bring it all together and give it a bit of creaminess. And I think that’s what homemade Nocciolata, or anything homemade for that matter, should be about – it should be exactly how you like it to be. Here’s a little video that shows how easy it is to make your own Nocciolata or Nutella at home.
Homemade Nutella Recipe – Emiko Davies from Emiko Davies on Vimeo.
Now this is where the cake comes in. When I asked Marco what cake I could make that he would eat, there was only one. It comes from the beachside town where Marco’s grandparents owned a little flat, a small section of the Etruscan coast known as Cecina. It’s a very old fashioned little strip of esplanade that faces the sea and looks directly out to Corsica and a handful of Tuscan islands. There, and only there and its surrounds, can you find this particular cake in the supermarket delis or bakeries. It’s known in Cecina as tronco, which means ‘tree trunk’: a simple rolled sponge, painted with Alchermes and filled with Nutella. Humble and old fashioned, a bit like the town itself.
Alchermes is probably one of the most retro, old fashioned liqueurs you can find. It’s a scarlet-tinged alcohol that dates back to the Renaissance and is almost exclusively used for staining desserts the same vivid pink colour, like Tuscany’s famous zuccotto, for example. The best version is one that you can find in the Pharmacy of Florence’s Santa Maria Novella church. There, it has been made for centuries by the monks and was once touted as a long life elixir, used to cure palpitations of the heart and measles and was said to revive “weary spirits”. It was traditionally flavoured with spices like cinnamon, vanilla, cloves and nutmeg but before you start imagining it to smell like Christmas cookies, it actually tends to have a very strong balsamic and medicinal character. Then, you may ask, where did the colour come from? In original recipes for the liqueur, it was made scarlet by the addition of a parasitic insect, Kermes, hence the name. Now, it’s like everything else, made with chemical colouring, which is not my favourite thing, but for something nostalgic I’ll let it slide.
The sponge recipe is one of my favourite recipes – so simple and so effective, easy to remember and so easy to make. If you want a gluten free version, have a look at Artusi’s Torta Margherita recipe – this 120 year old recipe uses just three ingredients to produce a similar, fluffy, light cake that would be a perfect substitute for sponge.
Now, time for a celebration and a little slice of cake, perhaps while I reminisce about my first blog post and what I was thinking this little blog might become at the time. I recently found out that both sponge cake and Nutella were not so bad on the GI scale – so even with gestational diabetes, I think I can afford just a little indulgence.
Tronco
Sponge roll with homemade Nocciolata
For the Nocciolata:
- 150 gr of hazelnuts, shells and skins removed
- 100 gr of milk chocolate
- About 50 ml of warm milk
- 2 tbs cocoa powder
- 2 tbs icing/powdered sugar
For the Sponge:
- 5 eggs
- 100 gr flour
- 100 gr fine/caster sugar
To assemble the roll:
- Alchermes*
- Some extra caster sugar
To make the Nocciolata: Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor (or if you’re more romantic or want a chunkier style, in a mortar and pestle!) until it looks like fine sand. Add the cocoa powder and icing sugar and continue blending. As you blend, the oil from the hazelnuts should begin creating a paste. Melt the milk chocolate over a bain marie, then add to the food processor to combine. Finally, add the warm milk, just a small amount at a time or as much as you need to reach a spoonable, creamy consistency and depending on the quality of your ingredients. Transfer to a jar and if not using right away, store it in the fridge.
To make the sponge: The key is in whisking the eggs. The longer you whisk them, the fluffier and lighter your sponge will be. Separate the yolks from the whites and place in two clean metal or glass mixing bowls. Whisk the egg yolks with an electric mixer or electric egg beaters for up to ten minutes, or until the yolks become very pale and fantastically creamy. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Clean the beaters very well, then whisk the whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in small amounts of the whites and the flour, alternately, to the yolks until just combined.
Pour into a baking tray prepared with baking paper (the sponge should be at most 2cm tall, a little less than an inch) and bake at 150ºC for about 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden and firm to the touch.
Remove the sponge from the oven and let it cool ever so slightly so you can handle it easily – you still want to work with it while it is warm. Gently turn upside down onto a sheet of plastic wrap scattered evenly with caster sugar (this helps to stop that lovely golden top from sticking to the plastic). Remove the baking paper to reveal a lovely, spongey soft cake and with a pastry brush, stain this side of the sponge evenly with Alchermes, then generously spread your homemade Nutella over the top (this is best done with Nutella at room temperature; you can even warm it a little if it helps to spread it easily).
Taking the short end of the sponge, carefully roll the entire thing up tightly and secure with the plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or even overnight before removing the plastic wrap carefully, cutting into thick slices and serving. If you like, sprinkle the top with some icing sugar before slicing (especially handy if you have found the top has stuck to the plastic).
*Where to find some of these ingredients in Melbourne:
Nocciolata by Rigoni di Asiago can be found at Enoteca Sileno on Lygon Street.
Alchermes by Maurizio Russo can be found at Mediterranean Wholesalers on Sydney Road.
Comments
ooh the Nocciolata… since our stay with you an Marco a favourite on our breakfast table!
I’m going to try to make it next year with the Kentish cobnuts I used for my cake recently. But the season is now over so I’ll have to wait!
I’m also not into sweets can you believe, I like making them but eating them… It depends, I like a good apple pie of victoria sponge but a bag of sweets or merengue makes my skin crawl :))
What a lovely Tronco, we liked that as well as it’s not too sweet. It must be heavenly with home made Nocciolata! Lovely pictures and congrats on your 100 posts!
xxx
That’s what I love about being able to make your own desserts – you can adjust them to just how you like it and I tend to always make them less sweet than they’re supposed to be! A Kentish cobnut-chocolate spread sounds amazing, can’t wait to read about that!
I’m comfortably sitting on a train to Turin for the Salone, my first time there, and I really enjoyed reading your post! Congratulations on the 100th post, my friend, you deserved a little treat! Can’t wait to try the nocciolata, I am sure Claudia will love it! Now I will enjoy the video!
I’m sure she’ll love it too! Enjoy Torino, I’m so envious!
Homemade noccilata is the best (healthy and delicious). Your roll looks fabulous and really tempting. Humble cakes are wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
Happy 100 posts! I have to admit when the title of this popped up in my reader I couldn’t imagine you’d be making something with Nutella – it’s so sweet and synthetic – and then I saw that you’d made your own Nocciolata and this beautiful, simple sponge. What an absolutely gorgeous way to celebrate and will definitely be trying your Nocciolata recipe very soon 🙂
so elegant!
I just discovered your blog & am excited I did. Congratulations. After reading this post I’m looking forward to what else I’ll discover. This cake sounds wonderful, I love to bake but also don’t eat many sweets so this sounds perfect. I do have a question. I know it would not be the same but is there anything you could suggest without alcohol? Due to medication for a chronic illness even small amounts bother me. I’m not sure about a dessert like this but don’t take chances. I know I can just leave it out but wonder if a balsamic glaze might give a better idea of original? Thank you. Looking forward to reading you site.
Deb, I’m so glad you asked as I should have mentioned it in the blog post! It is a very small amount of alcohol, even children eat this cake but by all means you can substitute it. My sister in law loves it brushed with espresso instead of the alcohol, but if coffee is a problem for you too, why not just leave it plain with simply a thick spread of nutella/nocciolata?
I can’t wait to try making my own Nutella! The husband is addicted to that stuff so he will be very happy. Congrats on 100 posts, Emiko!
Che buono!! I worked with one of the family from Rigoni di Asiago, as down to earth and sweet as their products.
Hope you are managing, gestational diabetes and all. Congratulations on your 100th postday 🙂
Thank you Frances! I can only imagine that someone who makes such delicious jams is down to earth and sweet 😉
This is gorgeous – I particularly like the pink stain. Making nutella at home is so worth it (I love making plain nut butter too, just with the nuts and a touch of sea salt). The little video is great, too. Finally, congratulations! 100 lovely posts.
Congratulations on your 100th post! I love your blog. Your video has inspired me to make your recipe. Hazelnuts and chocolate are my favorite ingredients and I am now going to order some hazelnuts from a farm in Oregon. Thank you!
Thank you! Fresh hazelnuts from a farm sounds wonderful, I realised after several tries of making this that fresh, quality hazelnuts make all the difference!
This sounds gorgeous. Congratulations on your 100th blog post, Emiko. I have a rose petal syrup addict in house which inspired me to make a really simple sponge recently too. I’m sure you appreciated your illicit little slice.
Congrats on the 100th post! I love the Italian inspiration I get from your blog, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much!
Hi there, I’ve made your variation of the sponge before (with mascarpone and pistachios) and used Grand Manier instead of the Alkermes. It turned out quite nice, actually.
I love the pink colour and the sound of the Alkermes, but it is impossible to find it anywhere (even online). Would you have a suggestion for an Alkermes substitute for this Nocciolata sponge?
If you’re having trouble finding Alkermes, I would suggest using instead something like rum, kirsch or cointreau. They aren’t going to give any colour and all of them will need to have a sugar syrup added to them to mimic the sweetness of Alchermes (a simple syrup is a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water, boiled to dissolve the sugar. Let cool and add to the alcohol; I’d use 1:1 syrup and alcohol too, it depends on how boozy you like it though, you can dilute it more!). Keep in mind that kirsch has a sour cherry flavour/perfume to it and cointreau an orange flavour/perfume. I once tried to get a pink colour with pomegranate syrup when I was overseas and couldn’t find Alkermes but it was only slightly pale pink! You can see the photos here: http://food52.com/blog/9831-zuppa-inglese
I buy Rigoni di Asiago’s jams in nearby market and all are grat. Today i bought Pompelo Rosa and Limoni, both my favorite 😉