Torta Paradiso
A delicate Lombard sponge cake from Pavia, made ultra-tender with equal parts potato starch and butter, finished with a heavy dusting of icing sugar.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 370 kcal
Equipment
- •22 cm round springform tin
- •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- •Sieve
- •Silicone spatula
- •Wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 4 g
- calories
- 370 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Grease a 22 cm springform tin with butter and dust lightly with flour.
- 2
Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan).
- 3
Beat the softened butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer for 10 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
- 4
Add the whole eggs and egg yolks one by one, beating thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated.
- 5
Fold in the grated lemon zest, vanilla bean paste and fine salt.
- 6
Sift together the plain flour, potato starch and baking powder into a separate bowl.
- 7
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a spatula until just combined.
- 8
Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and level the top gently with a spatula.
- 9
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- 10
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then release and cool completely on a wire rack.
- 11
Dust the cooled cake generously with a thick layer of icing sugar before slicing.
Chef's tips
Butter and eggs must be completely at room temperature so the batter does not curdle. Do not skip the 10-minute creaming step, as beating air into the butter gives this cake its signature melt-in-the-mouth crumb. Ensure the cake is fully cold before dusting with icing sugar so the sugar does not dissolve.
Ingredient substitutions
- potato starch → cornstarch (maizena), though potato starch gives the authentic soft texture
- vanilla bean paste → seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Storage
Store in an airtight cake tin at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Reheating
Serve at room temperature; do not reheat as warmth dries out the delicate crumb.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using cold butter, which prevents proper aeration and creates a dense, heavy cake.
- •Rushing the creaming stage instead of whipping until pale and mousse-like.
- •Overmixing once the flours are added, which develops gluten and ruins the delicate crumb.
Serving suggestions
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