Certosino

This is tipical chrismas cake of my city: Ferrara (Italy)

Ingredients

• Flour 1000g / 35 oz
  
• Baking powder 16g /0.5 oz
• Milk 300-400 ml
• Sugar 400g / 14 oz
  
• Currant 400g / 14 oz
  
• Patty fruit 400g / 14 oz
  
• Plum jam 400g / 14 oz
  
• Cacoa 400g / 14 oz
  
• Almonds (better with skin) 400g / 14 oz
  
• Dark chocolate 1000g / 35 oz (about 100g / 3.5 oz every certosino)

Cooking

• No pan (10 certosinos)
• Oven 160°C / 330 F, static, central/bottom level
• 75-80 minutes

Procedure

• Place currant into warm water ed let hydrate some minutes
• Mix powders (flour, baking powder, sugar and cocoa)
• Add almonds, plum jam, patty fruit and currant
• Mix very well
  
• Add milk to make the mix wet and pasty (too much milk make the mix too soft and certosino wilt itself while cooking)
• Mix very well (on a breadboard)
• Cut and split into 10 parts
• With every part make with hands a little dome (to work better grease your hand with a bit if oil)
• Place every dome on a oven platen
• Place in oven and bake (certosinos became very compact)
• Let rest 7 or more days on a fresh and dry place
• Glaze every certosino with about 100g / 3.5 oz of (melted) dark chocolate

Note

• This recipe is for 10 certosinos, but is very simple to adapt it for any number of certosinos (with a base of 100g/3.5 oz of flour for every certosino ) (4 certosinos in these photes)
• Every certosino can preserve a lot, even 2 months

Fruit jam pie

This is a very classic cake: shortcrust pastry and fruit jam

Ingredients

• Flour 250g / 9 oz
  
• Sugar 100g / 3.5 oz
  
• Salt
• Butter 125g / 4.5 oz
  
• Large eggs (yolks) 3
  
• Fruit jam (any) 400g / 14 oz
  

Cooking

• Round cake pan with 24 cm/ 10 inc diameter
• Oven 180°C / 350F, static, central/bottom level
• 30 minutes

Procedure

• Cut butter into medium pieces end let's soft a bit out of fridge
  
• Mix butter and flour (mix with fingers but don't heat butter too much)
  
• Mix yolks in a bowl and add to mix
  
• Add sugar
• Mix all and make a ball
• Cover with a plastic wrap and place in fridge at least 30 minutes
  
• Lay shortcrust pastry into pan (you can use a rolling pin) leaving a high border
• Lay fruit jam on shortcrust base
• Bake
  

Italian recipe

Banana muffin

Banana muffin, soft and delicius

Ingredients

• Flour 250g / 9 oz
  
• Sugar 150g / 5 oz
  
• Salt
• Vanilla powder (optional)
• Baking powdef 16g / 0.5 oz
• Large eges 2
  
• Vegetagle oil 100ml
  
• Milk 200ml
• Banana 200g / 7 oz
  

Cooking

• 12 muffin pans
• Oven 180°C / 330 F, static, central/bottom level
• 25 minutes

Procedure

• Mix powders (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder)
• Add the vegetable oil
  
• Add eggs
• Add milk
• Mix wery well (the mix is very liquid)
• Cut bananas into little cubes ad add to mix
• Place into muffin pans and bake

Italian recipe