Recipes
Bertolina cake
The recipe for the seasonal dessert with strawberry grapes: here are the ingredients and all the steps of the Bertolina cake!
The Bertolina cake is a simple dessert to prepare and typical of the Crema area, in Lombardy, so much so that in the city of Crema, in mid-September , a party dedicated to it is held. The enveloping and intense flavor of the grapes makes this soft dessert a real treat for the palate. But let's be clear: it is not a simple grape cake.
Let's now see all the steps to make the recipe for the Bertolina di Crema cake, the delicious dessert with corn flour and strawberry grapes to be made when the fruit is ripe and therefore only between September and October of each year.
Preparation of the Bertolina cake with strawberry grapes
- In a bowl, beat the sugar with the butter at room temperature with a whisk until you obtain a very smooth cream.
- Then add one egg at a time, continuing to mix vigorously until the mixture is light and smooth.
- Now sift the powders, the two flours, yeast and the pinch of salt directly into the bowl .
- Mix well and set the mixture aside temporarily.
- Now wash the strawberry grapes and separate them into grains.
- Take a cake pan of about 20 cm in diameter , grease it and pour half the egg and flour mixture.
- Pour 3/4 of the grapes and then, delicately, the remaining part of the dough.
- On the surface, complete with the remaining grapes, without pressing them into the dough.
- Now bake at 180°C for about 50-60 minutes (depending on the performance of your oven). About halfway through cooking, check that the surface is not becoming too dark, otherwise cover the cake with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Once ready, take it out of the oven, let it cool before removing it from the mold and then serve.
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The focaccia-like variant
In addition to the classic fruit-rich cake, a second version is also famous, without eggs or butter, very similar to a focaccia with the addition of grapes. Let's see how it prepares.
- 350 g of 00 flour
- 150 g of corn flour grind finely
- 600 g of strawberry grapes
- 410 ml of water
- 15 g of fresh brewer's yeast
- 20 g of sugar + more for dusting the surface
- oil or butter for the pan
- After sifting the 00 flour, pour it into a large bowl, add the corn flour, crumbled yeast and sugar.
- Mix well then add the water a little at a time and mix with a wooden spoon to obtain a smooth mixture.
- Cover with cling film and leave to rise in the oven with the light turned off but with the light on for an hour.
- Wash the strawberry grapes and remove all the berries, being careful not to break them.
- Once the dough has risen, add the grapes, mix and leave to rise for another 45 minutes.
- Grease the bottom and edges of a cake pan with oil or butter and pour the mixture inside, dust the surface of the mixture with a little granulated white sugar.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 50 minutes . Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving.
History of the Bertolina cake
It is a curious legend, but very simple and without supernatural events that could risk making the origins of this sugary sweet seem unlikely. In fact, it is said that the first to create the cake were two sisters living in the Crema area who were called "Benedete" .
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These sisters had remained spinsters and therefore, to be able to survive even without their husband's job, they decided to open a bakery where at certain times of the year they offered the Bertolina cake which really sold like hotcakes. However, the sisters never revealed their original recipe and in fact, in Cremasco, every family prepares it with small differences in preparation.
Conservation
The Bertolina cake can be kept in a cool, dry place for about 2-3 days , well protected from the air under a special bell for cakes. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.
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