Zia Vienna's Torta di Mela (Italian Apple Cake)

I want to share a recipe that is very special to me -- special because it comes from one of my favorite aunts that recently passed away after a sudden illness.  Zia Vienna (or Za' Vien as we called her) was a wonderful human being. She was a beautiful woman, tall and lean with gorgeous skin aged by the sun and short gray hair that she always brushed away from her face.  She was an original. I will miss her extraordinary sense of humor. She loved to tease! She spoke only in dialect and was a very country girl.  I remember traveling to Florence with Za' Vien and my uncle Nicolino as well as my mother and sister to visit their son Rocco.  It was such a fun trip because she was there. Watching her in Florence was the best. She was a genuine fish out of water...she kept us in stitches with her Florentine observations! Zia Vienna spoke only in dialect which completely annoyed my cousin Rocco. You see, when traveling in Italy, especially when one visits major cities such as Florence, speaking in dialect is just not done.  It's a sure-fire sign that you are a "country bumpkin". But Za' Vien was a country bumpkin and proud of it!

Well, here's the recipe. I love it but maybe it's not for everyone. It may be delicious but isn't a sweet cake.  It does travel well which makes it a good choice for picnics and long airplane rides back to America.  The last time I was in Italy which was in 2004, I actually had my mother call Za' Vien from America to let her know when exactly we would be arriving in Lettomanoppello so that my cake could be waiting for me! I know that is a bit over the top but I just love the taste of this cake.  By the way,in Italy, cakes are sometimes referred to as "pizza" and that's just what this is -- a sweet pizza. 

Lastly, it's best to weigh the ingredients as they do in Italy but if you don't have a digital scale I have included the American equivalent.

Torta di Mela (Apple Cake)

500 grams of cake flour ( 3 1/2 cups)

300 g. of sugar ( 1 1/2 cups)

100 g. of butter (1 stick + 1/2 cup)

4 eggs

1/2 glass of Strega (Italian liquor) (Za' Vien actually measured this using a short wine glass which in America would be considered a juice glass -- I believe it's about 1/4 cup.)

4 - 5 apples (cored, peeled and thinly sliced)

lemon peel of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

a package of "lievito pane degli angeli" (3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder)

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

Beat the eggs and sugar until frothy or foamy.  Add the liquor, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon peel and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until well blended.  Spread the batter into a round pan (I usually use a 10 1/2 inch pan).  Place the thinly sliced apples in an circular arrangement (overlapping the slices) on top of the batter. Place in 350 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean.   

Comments

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Mmm I love apple cake; can't wait to try this one in loving memory of Zia Vienna :)

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Merci beaucoup pour vos aimables paroles:) je prévois de couvrir ce sujet un peu à l'avenir. Le bonheur est, après tout, ce que nous cherchons à savoir si nous cherchons à changer notre carrière ou de puiser dans les vraies passions ou de trouver notre chemin dans la vie réelle.

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