Italian Chocolate Dessert or Dome Cake (Zuccotto)
6 servings
540 minutes
Zuccotto is a delightful Italian dessert embodying the elegance of Florentine cuisine. Its dome shape resembles the famous Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. Light chocolate sponge cake is soaked with a delicate cream made of whipped cream, ricotta paste, almonds, and chocolate, with a juicy cherry as the finishing touch. This dessert is perfect for special occasions as it is not only incredibly tasty but also visually stunning. Its rich chocolate flavor combined with crunchy nuts and tart cherries creates a rich palette of sensations. After a night in the fridge, Zuccotto achieves the perfect consistency and can be garnished with powdered sugar and fresh mint before serving. It’s a true delight for connoisseurs of refined desserts!
1
Mix the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
- Wheat flour: 100 g
- Cocoa powder: 20 g
- Baking powder (raising agent): 2 teaspoons
2
Add melted butter, mix, then add sugar and mix again.
- Butter: 100 g
- Sugar: 120 g
3
Beat the eggs in a bowl, add to the dough, mix gently and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (about 30x35 cm in size).
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
4
Place the dough in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
5
Cool the finished cake.
6
Take a round bowl, about 1.2 l in capacity, and use it as a stencil to cut a circle from the cake and set it aside.
7
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
8
Cut triangles from the remaining cake, I ended up with not only triangles but also strips and rectangles, so it's not scary to arrange them in a bowl following its shape.
9
Chop the nuts if whole; I bought ready-made ones, chop the chocolate finely.
- Almond: 50 g
- Dark chocolate: 50 g
10
In a separate bowl, whip the cream with powdered sugar. I cheated a bit, as there wasn't much powder, so I just ground sugar in a coffee grinder, and it turned into the same powder.
- Heavy cream 35% fat: 300 ml
- Icing sugar: 100 g
11
Instead of the total amount of cream, I took about 200 ml and then added about 100-150 g of plain cottage cheese.
- Heavy cream 35% fat: 300 ml
- Dark chocolate: 50 g
12
Add nuts to the mixture, stir, then add chocolate, stir again, and add cherries.
- Almond: 50 g
- Dark chocolate: 50 g
- Cherry (sour): 250 g
13
I had frozen cherries. I thawed them and drained the juice.
14
Place the obtained mass in a layer and cover it with a cut circle.
15
Put in the refrigerator for 6–8 hours or overnight.
16
Before serving, flip onto a plate, remove from the bowl, and decorate. I sprinkled with powdered sugar and decorated with fresh mint sprigs and cocktail cherries.
- Icing sugar: 100 g
