The torta versata, which means “poured cake,” is quick and easy, resulting in a pillowy texture with flavors that satisfy any sweet tooth.
This cake is called torta versata because it requires pouring in half the dough, baking, then spreading a filling on the surface before pouring in the remaining batter to finish baking. This keeps the filling from settling on the bottom.
It's quite versatile. In addition to jams, marmalade, and spreadable creams, you can also fill with mascarpone cream, ricotta cream, custard, or seasonal fruit. Add cocoa powder, espresso, or lemon or orange zest to the dough, and substitute whole-wheat or buckwheat flour if you wish.
Like most soft cakes, the torta versata will keep for few days covered. Read on for the ingredients and recipe, and the above photo gallery features some tips to make it even better.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup flour, sifted
5 large eggs
1 cup superfine caster sugar
¼ cup warm water
3 Tbsp. seed oil
1 Tbsp. baking powder
9 oz. strawberry jam (or any other flavor)
grated rind of 1 untreated lemon
Method:
Using an electric mixer, whip the eggs with the sugar. Once combined, mix in the lemon zest, water, oil, flour, and baking powder. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a pie tin with baking parchment. Pour half of the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then spread the jam onto the surface, leaving about 1 cm. around the edges. Cover with the remaining cake batter, and bake for another 30 minutes. Using a toothpick, pierce the center to check if the cake is baked through. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
With ricotta and chocolate chips
The method for the dough is the basic recipe above. After baking the first part of the batter, you’ll fill it with a mixture of ricotta and chocolate chips. Recipe: Mix 7 oz. ricotta in a bowl with ¼ cup. sugar and 1 large egg yolk until smooth. Add 1 oz. dark chocolate chips. Spread on the surface of the cake and continue baking.
With pears
Ricotta and pears never fail to be a winning combo. Follow the steps in the previous recipe, but replace the chocolate chips with pears.
With cream
Use the above dough recipe, adding 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder to the mix before pouring the batter into the cake tin. For the cream, slice open a vanilla pod and remove the seeds. Heat the vanilla seeds with 2 cups whole milk without bringing it to a boil. Filter the liquid and let it cool. In the meantime, mix ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup potato starch, then add the cooled milk mixture. Heat in a saucepan over low heat, letting it thicken into a dense, creamy consistency. Fill the torta versata with this cream.