How to Make Tenerina (Chocolate Cake)

If you love chocolate, you’ll die for Tenerina

This cake has a place in the history of Italy, dedicated in honor of Elena del Montenegro, second Queen of Italy (back in the days when we used to have King and Queen). And its origins are in Ferrara and in the area around. It’s not a fancy looking cake, but I’m sure once you taste it, you won’t care about it.

A friend of mine after she ate the first bite described it like this, “Oh my God, it’s like eating a chocolate cloud!” Its peculiarity is that it has a thin crust on the top and a soft and dense chocolate core. It blows your mind!

Let’s go deeper into this chocolate world

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate (300g)
• 3/4 cup of Sugar (150g)
• 3/4 cup of Butter (150g)
• 3 Eggs
• 2 spoons of Flour
• a pinch of Salt
• 2 spoons of Milk (optional)

How to prepare Tenerina:

1. First of all we need to separate the eggs. By that I mean divide the yolk from the white. To do that take 2 small bowls, take one egg and crack it in the middle section, on the edge of one bowl. But be gentle.

Separate the two parts of the shell. Make sure, when you do that, to turn the shell side with the crack up and holding the shell parts with your hands, pull downward. In this way you should have two parts that you are going to use as containers. The idea is to pour the yolk into the empty shell and go back and forth until all the white falls into the bowl. Do the same for the second egg.

2. Using “Bagnomaria” technique, melt the chocolate and add the butter. Put it aside to cool, or in the freezer to accelerate the cooling process.

3. Put the egg whites aside for now. Put sugar and the egg yolks together into a bigger bowl and mix together with an electric whisk until you reach a yellow cream.

4. Add two spoons of flour to the yolk cream.

5. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the mix and incorporate it mixing with a circular movement. You could add two spoons of milk if you like if the mixture results too thick.

6. Put the egg whites in a bigger bowl, add a pinch of salt and whip them until you reach a soft and cloudy look.

7. Add the egg whites just whipped at the chocolate mixture, mixing with a spatula with a rotating movement reaching the bottom of the bowl to the top.

8. Take a cake pan and some parchment paper, and a little butter. Coat the cake pan with butter and cut the parchment paper to cover the bottom and the walls of the cake pan. This way you’ll avoid to use non stick sprays and you’ll have a good result and easy cleaning.

9. When the whites are mixed you can pour the mixture to a cake pan, and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. After 20 minutes turn the oven off and leave the cake in for other 10 minutes with the over door semi open.

Serve the cake cooled, dusted with powder sugar.

Tenerina Recipe

2015-12-14 17:43:59

This is a simple but incredibly delicious cake from Ferrara's culinary traditions.

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate (300g)
2. 3/4 cup of Sugar (150g)
3. 3/4 cup of Butter (150g)
4. 3 Eggs
5. 2 spoons of Flour
6. a pinch of Salt
7. 2 spoons of Milk (optional)

Instructions

1. First of all we need to separate the eggs. By that I mean divide the yolk from the white. To do that take 2 small bowls, take one egg and crack it in the middle section, on the edge of one bowl. But be gentle.
2. Separate the two parts of the shell. Make sure, when you do that, to turn the shell side with the crack up and holding the shell parts with your hands, pull downward. In this way you should have two parts that you are going to use as containers. The idea is to pour the yolk into the empty shell and go back and forth until all the white falls into the bowl. Do the same for the second egg.
3. Using "Bagnomaria" technique, melt the chocolate and add the butter. Put it aside to cool, or in the freezer to accelerate the cooling process.
4. Put the egg whites aside for now. Put sugar and the egg yolks together into a bigger bowl and mix together with an electric whisk until you reach a yellow cream.
5. Add two spoons of flour to the yolk cream.
6. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the mix and incorporate it mixing with a circular movement. You could add two spoons of milk if you like if the mixture results too thick.
7. Put the egg whites in a bigger bowl, add a pinch of salt and whip them until you reach a soft and cloudy look.
8. Add the egg whites just whipped at the chocolate mixture, mixing with a spatula with a rotating movement reaching the bottom of the bowl to the top.
9. Take a cake pan and some parchment paper, and a little butter. Coat the cake pan with putter and cut the parchment paper to cover the bottom and the walls of the cake pan. This way you'll avoid to use non stick sprays and you'll have a good result and easy cleaning.
10. When the whites are mixed you can pour the mixture to a cake pan, and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. After 20 minutes turn the oven off and leave the cake in for other 10 minutes with the over door semi open.
11. Serve the cake cold, covered with powder sugar.

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