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Ciaramicola Cake

This donut shaped cake with meringue frosting is pronounced Chara-mee-cola ( Ciaramicola) and is an Umbrian delicacy. Legend has it that there was a tradition where a woman would present the cake to her fiance on the morning of Easter Sunday. Now it is a common Easter cake in the Umbrian region and particularly the province of Perugia. We were introduced to this cake by our Umbrian friends, Marco and Chiara. The cake gets its pink tint from the Alchermes liqueur, which some believe to date back to the Renaissance. While not hard to find in Umbria, if you cannot find in the US, you can substitute it with a cranberry liqueur. Enjoy this slice of Umbria in your own kitchen! Buona Pasqua!

CIARAMICOLA
INGREDIENTS

450gr flour

250gr butter

350gr sugar (100 for meringue)

5 eggs (2 egg whites for meringue)

1 cup Alchermes

1 small cup of milk

1 lemon (juice and grated peel)

1 pinch of salt

16gr of baking powder

     DIRECTIONS

-Beat the eggs in with the sugar

-Add the melted butter, Alchermes, lemon, milk and sift in the flour

-Bake at 355F for 45 minutes

 -Remove the cake from the oven

-Beat the egg whites with the first salt at low speed

-Cook for 2 minutes in boiling, salted water and toss with sauce of choice

-Cover the cake with meringue and decorate as desired

-Put back in oven at 220/250F for 10 minutes

-Leave the cake in the oven to cool and dry with the oven door open

slice of Umbria Read more

This donut shaped cake with meringue frosting is pronounced Chara-mee-cola ( Ciaramicola) and is an Umbrian delicacy. Legend has it that there was a tradition where ...

An Umbrian Easter in DC

When our dear friends Marco Palermi and Chiara Cigogna come to Washington from Umbria, it might be an understatement to say that they bring the whole spirit of Umbria with them. With wit, warmth and wisdom, Marco and Chiara are the ideal ambassadors for this truly special region that we have come to call home.

Marco and Chiara are well known to anyone who has visited our Umbrian farmhouse but for those who are unaware, they are Umbrians through and through and have built quite a following among the guests whom have they taken care of during their visits to Umbria.

But the true treasure of the green heart of Italy is its people and no one better represents Umbria than Marco and Chiara. We relish that their annual visit coincided with Easter this year as we get the opportunity to celebrate with these cultural ambassadors discovering new foods and traditions.

But beyond their amazing personalities and hosting skills, their visit also means Umbrian delicacies are flying out of the Via Umbria kitchen at an even higher rate than usual! One of those specialties that is now available in our cafe, is the delicious Ciaramicola, pronounced Chara-mee-cola.

This special Easter cake is Umbrian to its core, and the tradition is that a woman would present this cake to her fiance on the morning of Easter Sunday,  But to be honest that traditional has been left in the dust because it is so good that everyone deserves the right to eat it!

So whether you join us around our communal table for Easter Brunch or Dinner with Marco and Chiara, or come in to the cafe to try some of their Umbrian delicacies, we guarantee you will be just as smitten as we are!

For the recipe for Ciaramicola, follow this link!

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Marco and Chiara are the ideal ambassadors Read more

When our dear friends Marco Palermi and Chiara Cigogna come to Washington from Umbria, it might be an understatement to say that they ...