The paradise cake is the symbolic dessert of the Lombard tradition made with simple ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour and lemon. Of ancient origins, the paradise cake was made for the first time in 1800 by Enrico Vigoni , a pastry chef from Pavia : success was immediate; the name is due to the expression of a noblewoman who, upon tasting it, exclaimed: “This cake is heaven” . And who can blame him: soft and fragrant, it is perfect to enjoy for breakfast or as a snack , accompanied with a cup of milk or tea.

It is made by working the soft butter with the icing sugar for a long time until the mixture is puffy and well whipped : we also added the grated lemon zest , to make it super fragrant. Separately we beat the eggs with the yolks , which will be added slowly to the butter and icing sugar mixture; the addition of flour, potato starch and baking powder , and baking in a static oven for about 40 minutes , will give it a super soft, almost impalpable consistency and a divine taste, which can remind you of margherita cake . It is then served and enjoyed plain, simply dusted with a little icing sugar , but you can also fill it with a delicious milk cream , to make it truly irresistible.

For a truly impeccable result, it is important that the ingredients are at room temperature and that you use excellent quality butter : take it out of the fridge at least an hour before using it, because it must have a moldable consistency. The original recipe does not include yeast, but we added a few grams of it, to have a softer final product that can keep perfectly for several days. Here’s how to prepare it with our Melissa to obtain a super soft and irresistible paradise cake.

In case you want to get a lighter paradise cake, you can try the version with seed oil . Furthermore, the basic recipe also lends itself to tasty additions as in the case of the cocoa paradise cake ; you can also replace the grated lemon zest with orange zest or add a vanilla pod .

Ingredients
DOSES FOR 24 CM DIAMETER MOULD
EGG YOLKS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
4
EGGS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
3
POWDERED SUGAR
300 gr
SOFT BUTTER
230 gr
00 FLOUR
200 gr
POTATO STARCH
110 gr
BAKING POWDER
4 gr
GRATED LEMON ZEST
1
SALT
1 pinch
FOR SPRINKLING
POWDERED SUGAR
to taste
How to prepare paradise cake
Step 1
In a planetary mixer or in a large bowl, place the soft butter, it must be mouldable
1
.

Step 2
Add the icing sugar and the grated zest of an untreated lemon. Start whipping with the electric whisk for at least 10 minutes, you will have to obtain a white and soft mixture, well whipped
2
. This step is essential to obtain a super soft and well-whipped cake.

Step 3
Separately, combine the whole eggs and the yolks, beat them quickly with a fork or a whisk. They must be at room temperature. Then slowly add them to the butter mixture while continuing to whisk
3
: add the rest of the eggs only when the previous ones are well mixed.

Step 4
Add a pinch of salt, then little by little the sifted flour, yeast and starch
4
.

Step 5
Continue mixing: at the end the mixture should be soft and well whipped
5
.

Step 6
Pour the mixture obtained into a buttered and floured 24cm diameter round mould: add a sheet of baking paper to the bottom and level the surface well with a spatula
6
.

Step 7
Bake at 175°C in a preheated static oven for approximately 35-40 minutes: do not open the oven in the first 30 minutes of cooking. Always do the toothpick test to check that it is actually cooked. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool, remove it from the mold and dust with icing sugar
7
.

Step 8
Your paradise cake is ready to be cut into slices and enjoyed soft and fragrant
8
.

storage
You can store the paradise cake for 3 days under a glass bell jar or well covered with cling film.