Ciaramicola
Ciaramicola is a traditional Perugian Easter ring cake coloured bright red with Alchermes liqueur and capped with crisp white meringue and colourful sprinkles.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •24 cm ring cake tin (ciambella mould)
- •Electric hand whisk
- •Mixing bowls
- •Fine sieve
- •Pastry brush
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 12 g
- carbs
- 68 g
- fibre
- 1.5 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C and grease and flour a 24 cm ring tin.
- 2
Whisk the 4 egg yolks with 200 g caster sugar until thick and pale.
- 3
Pour in the melted butter and grated lemon zest, stirring until combined.
- 4
Add the Alchermes liqueur and mix until the batter turns bright crimson throughout.
- 5
Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder to form a thick, smooth dough.
- 6
Transfer the mixture into the tin and level the surface evenly.
- 7
Bake for 35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- 8
Whisk the 3 egg whites with 100 g sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- 9
Remove the cake, unmould carefully, and spread the meringue over the top and sides.
- 10
Scatter the multicoloured sprinkles generously over the glossy meringue.
- 11
Return to the oven at 110 degrees C for 15 minutes until dry and set.
- 12
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing to display the crimson interior.
Chef's tips
Do not brown the meringue during the second bake; the oven temperature should remain low to dry it gently into a pure white crust. Authentic Alchermes is essential for both the signature red colour and spiced herbal aroma.
Ingredient substitutions
- Alchermes liqueur → a mix of pomegranate juice, drop of vanilla extract, and tiny dash of red food colouring for an alcohol-free alternative
- butter → traditional lard (strutto) in equal quantity for a dense, historical farmhouse texture
Storage
Store the cake under an airtight cake dome at room temperature for up to four days.
Reheating
This cake is meant to be eaten at room temperature and should not be reheated.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Baking the meringue at too high a temperature, which turns it brown instead of civic white.
- •Skimping on the Alchermes, which leaves the inner crumb pale pink rather than vivid red.
- •Unmoulding the cake roughly while piping hot, causing the tender crumb to tear.
Serving suggestions
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