Ciambellone

I love staying with friends when I travel—I get a better glimpse of what daily life there is really like. During college, I befriended a woman from the suburbs of Turin, Italy. She invited a couple of us to visit her and stay at her family’s home. When we arrived, her mother had made a beautifully simple cake and served it as a welcome treat. 

The giant ring of cake was velvety, buttery, and lightly scented with lemon. It was simply served, just dusted with powdered sugar, and that was all it needed. Each morning before heading out, we had a slice of ciambellone for breakfast with a caffè latte. I also like it as an afternoon snack with hot coffee or an iced espresso. It was just as soft and velvety on the last day of our trip as the first.

Before I left I made sure to ask about the cake, and she told me ciambellone is a staple all across Italy. Since then, I’ve enjoyed it at cafes in Venice, Florence, and Bologna, but nothing’s quite as good as a cake made to welcome new friends.

What Is Ciambellone?

Ciambellone is a rustic Italian cake baked in a tube or a bundt pan, usually served as a sweet breakfast or with afternoon coffee. You’ll see ciambellone and ciambella, and there isn’t always a practical distinction between the two. Ciambella means doughnut and refers to any number of ring-shaped desserts, whether they’re cookies, individual cakes, or large ring-shaped cakes. Ciambellone, or big doughnut, tends to specifically refer to a large ring-shaped cake.

There are many variations of ciambellone. Some are made with butter, some with olive oil, many with both, and others are flavored with ricotta or chocolate. Truth be told, ciambellone is almost as generic a term as Bundt cake. This recipe is the version I had at my friend’s house and seems to be the most common.

Tips for Mixing the Batter

With this cake, it’s very important to use room-temperature ingredients for the batter to mix properly. If, like most of my bakes, you’re baking on a whim, there are a few tricks to quickly soften butter and bring eggs to room temperature. You can warm milk in the microwave in 10-second bursts.

Even with room-temperature ingredients, the batter may separate when you add the eggs and milk. The emulsion breaks because too much liquid was added too quickly. Many people will tell you this is bad and you should panic. But in 99% of cases, as soon as you mix in the flour, the batter smooths out again, and the cake turns out just fine.

What Does the Cornstarch Do?

Many Italian cakes traditionally use a blend of 00 flour (finely ground wheat flour) and potato starch. I approximated this with all-purpose flour and cornstarch. The cornstarch adds structure to the cake without extra gluten, too much of which can make the cake tough. It also makes the cake tender and velvety. 

You could substitute the flour and cornstarch for 2 1/2 cups cake flour. I don’t usually have potato starch or cake flour around, but I always have plenty of all-purpose flour and cornstarch in my cupboard.

Simple Recipe Variations

Ciambellone has so many variations, it’s essentially a category of cake rather than a specific recipe. Here are some simple ways to tweak the recipe:

• In Northern Italy, where my friend is from, they tend to use more butter. In my version, I use mostly butter with a little olive oil for the added softness. But they're often made with all butter or all olive oil—use whatever ratio you prefer.
• To gently flavor the cake, I used the zest from two lemons. You can use orange zest or a mix of both.
• For an even richer cake, use yogurt or soft ricotta in place of the milk.
• For a chocolate version, omit the cornstarch, reduce the flour to 2 1/2 cups, and add 1/2 cup cocoa powder.

Italian Desserts

• Zeppole
• Strawberries and Cream Semifreddo
• Chocolate Florentine Cookies
• Cioccolata Calda (Italian Hot Chocolate)
• Zabaglione