Italian Easter cupcake - colomba.
Easter dove is a traditional Italian Easter cupcake in the shape of a bird, decorated with almonds and sugar balls. In Italy, special paper molds are sold for baking doves. However, this cupcake can be baked in any other shape.
Ingredients
| flour 500 g |
| milk 150 ml |
| fresh yeast 5 g |
| sugar 300 g |
| egg yolk 6 pcs |
| egg white 4-5 pcs |
| butter 140 g |
| orange syrup 2 tbsp. |
| vanilla 1 pod |
| orange candied fruit 125 g |
| hazelnuts 100 g |
| almonds 50 g |
| sugar balls |
| starch |
| salt |
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the opara: put the yeast in a bowl, pour 125 ml of milk, add 125 g of flour and mix well. Cover and place in a cold oven for 8 hours.
Step 2
After 8 hours, the opara should have about tripled in size and there will be bubbles on the surface. Add 95 ml of water (37°C), 65 g of sugar and 2 yolks to the opara. Knead the dough well in the food processor. Then add 250 g of flour and continue kneading the dough.
Step 3
Add 1 egg yolk, 70 g of soft butter and continue kneading the dough. After half an hour of kneading you will have a smooth, elastic dough.
Step 4
Transfer the dough to a deep bowl, cover with a towel and place in a cold oven for 11-12 hours.
Step 5
After this time, add 80 g sugar, 2 tbsp orange syrup or 1 tbsp orange essence, 25 ml milk and 2 yolks to the dough. Continue kneading the dough in the food processor. Add 125g of flour and continue to knead. Add 1 egg yolk, 4 g salt, vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla powder, 70 g soft butter and knead well. Then add 125 g of diced candied fruit.
Step 6
Make balls of dough, cover with a towel and place in a cold oven for 1 hour.
Step 7
Then spread the dough into molds (the dough should reach half the height of the mold). Cover with a towel and leave for 2 hours.
Step 8
Prepare the glaze: grind 100 g hazelnuts, 50 g almonds, 25 g starch, 150 g sugar in a mixer into a powder. Add 4-5 whites, beaten into a stiff foam, mix gently. The glaze can be spread on the raw dough.
Step 9
Cover the cupcake with a towel, leave it in a cold oven for 2 hours. Then take the cupcake out of the oven, heat it up to 180 ° C and put the cupcake again.
Step 10
When the cupcake is 2 cm below the level of the mold wall, sprinkle it thickly with sugar balls and continue baking. Total baking time 50-60 minutes.
