La Torta Angelica 

La torta Angelica is a perfect dessert for breakfast or a snack. Invented by Sorelle Simili, the Bolognese bakers, this soft braided pan brioche swirl is stuffed with raisins, candied orange (and chocolate chips for the gourmands). A delicate and beautiful garland that tastes as good as it looks!To make Angelica cake, you’ll need some time and patience, since there are quite a few steps and it takes several hours to make. Also for the braiding, you’ll need a good amount of technical skill. But once it’s ready, you’ll taste just how worth the effort it was to make!How to make La torta Angelica (Angelica cake)IngredientsTo prepare this soft dessert, you’ll need several ingredients. For the dough starter (which is essential), you’ll need: 4 ½ oz manitoba flour, 3 oz water, 2 level teaspoons of dry yeast (or ½ oz fresh yeast) and 1 teaspoon of sugar. For the cake dough, on the other hand, you’ll need: 13 oz manitoba flour, 1 cup milk, 3 large egg yolks, 3 oz sugar, 4 oz soft butter and 1 teaspoon of salt. For the filling and the icing, you’ll need: 1 oz melted butter, 7 oz chocolate chips, raisins and candied fruit, 1 egg white and 5 oz powdered sugar.MethodThe first thing you’ll need to do is make the dough starter (which we call ‘lievitino’ in Italian). For fresh yeast, simply dissolve the yeast in water. For dry yeast, just add it directly to the flour. Knead all the ingredients for the starter until the dough is solid and compact. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at about 85°F (30°C) for 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, the start should have tripled in volume.In the meantime, make the Angelica cake dough. Start by mixing the milk with the eggs. Then add the flour and sugar, mixing well until smooth and lump-free. Then add the butter in pieces and a pinch of salt, kneading until combined. Then add the starter dough in pieces and knead once more.Let the dough rise once more at 85°F (30°C) for 3 hours.After 3 hours, roll out the dough onto a flat surface using a rolling pin, forming a rectangle with a thickness of about 3 mm. Then brush the surface with lukewarm melted butter. Add the chocolate chips, raisins and candied fruit (or just the ingredients you like) and roll it into a spiral on its longer side.Once rolled up, the dough will look like a sausage. Cut it in half lengthwise, and separate the two halves to braid them. Lift up the braid, transfer it to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and close it in a swirl.Let the cake rise (for the last time) for about an hour. Then bake it in the oven at 355°F (180°C) for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, cover the surface with the icing made from mixing egg whites and powdered sugar.The only thing left to do is enjoy your torta Angelica!Check out the photo gallery above for some more tips on making Angelica cake to perfection!