Kitchen Recipe Collection
Italian Torta Paradiso
The 'Paradise Cake'. An incredibly light, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sponge cake from Lombardy, heavily dusted with powdered sugar.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 10 servings
- butter (softened)
- powdered sugar
- eggs (room temperature)
- potato starch or cornstarch
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
- lemon zest
- extra powdered sugar (for dusting)
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Springform pan
Instructions
- 1
Preheat and Prep
Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- 2
Cream Butter and Sugar
In a stand mixer, beat the extremely soft butter and powdered sugar together for at least 10 minutes until incredibly pale, fluffy, and cloud-like.
- 3
Add Aromatics
Beat in the vanilla extract and freshly grated lemon zest.
- 4
Add Eggs Slowly
Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating very well after each addition. Do not add the next egg until the first is completely absorbed.
- 5
Sift Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, potato starch (crucial for the texture), and baking powder three times.
- 6
Fold Gently
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture very gently in three batches.
- 7
Maintain Volume
Do not overmix or deflate the batter; fold just until the white streaks of starch disappear.
- 8
Pour the Batter
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- 9
Bake
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Do not open the oven door during the first 30 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick.
- 10
Cooling Process
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- 11
The Dusting
Once completely cold, cover the entire top of the cake with a very thick, generous layer of powdered sugar.
- 12
Serve
Serve small slices. It is rich, crumbly, and meant to be eaten with a hot beverage.
Cooking Tips
- The potato starch (fecola di patate) is the secret ingredient. It interrupts the gluten formation, resulting in the famous crumbly, melting texture.
- The butter and eggs must be at room temperature, or the batter will separate (curdle).
Variations
- Kinder Paradiso: Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally and fill it with a thick layer of sweetened milk cream (crema di latte).
Chef's Notes & Storage
- Invented in Pavia, Lombardy. Legend says a noblewoman called it 'paradise' upon first tasting it.
Nutrition Estimate
340 calories · 4g protein · 40g carbs · 18g fat · 0g fiber per serving
