A cake that is simple and quick to make with a distinctive doughnut shape and the addition of candied apricots and pineapple, flavored with vanilla and maraschino. Together let's find out the legend behind the delicious Donizetti cake and, unknown to many, the true story.
Donizetti cake: the legend
Legend has it that one evening the Bergamo-born Gaetano Donizetti and his colleague and friend Gioacchino Rossini, were at dinner together. But Donizetti was grieved and distraught because of a broken heart that never left his thoughts and had taken away his smile and even his appetite. It was then that Rossini tired of seeing his friend in distress and to avoid having his dinner completely ruined, he asked his personal chef to prepare a quick and simple cake that would put his musician and composer friend in a good mood. The chef went to work and returned victorious with a soft doughnut shaped cake covered with powdered sugar, which inside revealed candied apricots and pineapple and the unmistakable taste of vanilla and maraschino. As it turns out, Donizetti liked the cake and since then often you hear these words echoed in the city streets; "if you are lovesick, a slice of Turta del Donizèt and everything passes".
Donizetti cake: the real story
Although this legend may seem plausible and certainly charming the truth is another. This cake in fact wasn’t invented by Rossini's cook, but created and patented by Alessandro Balzer in 1948 on the occasion of the centenary of Donizetti's death (8 April 1848). For those who know Bergamo, Balzer is a must destination for breakfast and snacks in the name of genuine sweet heaven. Balzer is an historic pastry shop that since 1936 has been overlooking the Sentierone, one of the most famous and important streets in Bergamo, right in front of the Donizetti Theatre. A brilliant idea by the then owner and pastry chef Alessandro Balzer who decided to pay homage to Bergamo's most famous musician and opera singer of the nineteenth century by dedicating a very special cake to him, easily replicated at home.
Donizetti Cake Recipe
Donizetti cake has become one of the city's most symbolic desserts, whose recipe must meet the requirements of the "BERGAMO, Città dei Mille... sapori" trademark regulations. In addition, to celebrate the great composer, 8 April, the date of his death, has become the Donizèt Cake National Day.
Donizetti Cake Ingredients
9 oz butter, 5 oz sugar, 4 oz starch, 3 oz flour 120 g candied pineapple cubes, 3 oz candied apricot cubes, 8 yolks, 4 egg whites, 1 vanilla berry, 1 tablespoon of maraschino
Method
Whip the butter together with 4 ½ oz sugar, add the yolks one at a time and mix together. Whisk the four egg whites with the remaining sugar and slowly incorporate it into the previous mixture. Gradually add the flour, the starch and then the apricot and pineapple candied fruit, together with the maraschino and vanilla. Butter a 24/26 cm doughnut-shaped spring form tin, pour in the mixture, and put in the oven at 350° for about 40 minutes. Leave to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.