Genoa cake
Genoa cake (Supermarket own-brand with few cherries)
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Genoa |
| Details | |
| Type | Fruit cake |
| Main ingredient(s) | Sultanas/raisins, Currants, Glacé cherries, Flour, Eggs, Butter, Sugar |
| Approximate calories per serving |
340 |
Genoa cake (also simply Genoa[1]) is a fruit cake consisting of sultanas, currants or raisins, glacé cherries, almonds, and candied orange peel or essence, cooked in a batter of flour, eggs, butter and sugar.[2] [3]
Although the name genoa cake is mainly used in the UK, it is a variant of the Pandolce cake which originated in 16th century Genoa as a Christmas cake. Unlike genoa, traditional Pandolce includes pine nuts as a major ingredient and uses yeast as its raising agent, which requires several hours to rise, like bread.[4] This original form is now known as Pandolce Alto, whilst a simpler variant which uses baking powder is known as Pandolce basso and is essentially the same as the genoa cake sold in the UK, with a moist but crumbly texture.[5][6]
The term Genoa cake is also sometimes used to refer to Génoise cake which is a light sponge cake without fruit.[7]
See also
- Cake
- Génoise cake (Italian sponge cake)
