All crazy for Daisy

Last Monday was a holiday, and we were all at home, just being a little lazy. The weather was... just one of those rainy, dull days when not even dogs want to go out.
At some point, the afternoon seemed endless and I decided to bake something, but it had to be really simple. And, as I often do, I took my baking bible, written by my favourite pastry chef, and looked through to see if there was something I could make in no time.
My choice was this simple, soft and delicious cake, that I have actually never made before, at least not following this recipe.
The result was that the cake disappeared within a couple hours (not even time to take a single photo and it was gone), and I was accused to have made "a too small cake" (I only made half of the recipe and baked one 20-centimeter cake), and later asked to make it every day, possibly ^__^. What better review than this.
Therefore, yesterday, I stocked up on eggs and made it again, this time the whole recipe and baked one cake plus 6 mini cakes so my daughter could take it to school as well, as a snack. She specificly asked me to add some chocolate chips to her cakes, too.
The words to describe it are useless, you simply have to try it for yourself. Imagine you are walking on a cloud, picking a delicate little daisy and then it disappears in your mouth, melting when touching your palate. Perfect, nothing else to add.
The only thing I need to change is my silicone cake pan, it just wouldn't let the cake go  ^__^

Torta Margherita (Daisy Cake)


(for 2, 20-cm (8") cakes):
200 g sugar
125 g whole eggs
150 g egg yolks
100 g flour
100 g potato starch
50 g butter (melted and cooled to 40-42°C)
1/2 vanilla bean

(1 medium size egg = about 60 g, only egg yolk = about 20 g)

Put the whole eggs, sugar and the scraped vanilla seeds into a mixing bowl and beat well until almost stiff.
Add the egg yolks and continue mixing at high speed until really thick.
Carefully and gradually add the flour mixed and sifted with the potato starch and stir them in with a hand whisk or wooden spoon, with delicate up and down movments.



Add the melted butter (the temperature of 40-42°C is very important for the satisfying final result) and stir it in delicately.



When the batter is homogeneously mixed pour it into two 20 cm (8") round cake pans (greased and floured), filling them up to 2/3 of their height.
Bake the cakes in an oven preheated to 180°C (160°C for ventilated/fanned oven).
Remove the cake from the pan, let it cool and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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Torta Margherita (di Giovanni Pina)


(per 2 torte da 20 cm):
200 g di zucchero
125 g di uova intere
150 g di tuorli
100 g di farina
100 g di fecola di patate
50 g di burro (sciolto e fatto raffreddare a 40-42°C)
1/2 baccello di vaniglia (i semi)


(1 uovo medio = circa 60 g, solo tuorlo = circa 20 g)


Mettete le uova intere, lo zucchero e i semi di vaniglia in una ciotola e montate con lo sbattitore elettrico fino a ottenere un composto sodo e spumoso.
Aggiungete i tuorli e continuate a montare finché il composto diventi stabile (e "scrive").
A questo punto aggiungete piano e gradualmente la farina, precedentemente mescolata e setacciata insieme alla fecola, mescolando con i movimenti delicati dall’alto verso il basso, usando una frusta a mano o un cucchiaio di legno.
Unite anche il burro (la temperatura di 40-42°C è fondamentale per la buona riuscita) mescolandolo delicatamente per non sgonfiare il composto.
Versate il composto in due teglie da 20 cm di diametro, imburrate e infarinate, e cuocete le torte nel forno preriscaldato a 180°C (160° se il forno è ventilato) per 22 minuti.
Togliete le torte dal forno, sformatele e lasciatele raffreddare.
Servite le torte cosparse con lo zucchero a velo.


*L'autore dice di conservare le torte in frigo, protette dall’umidità, fino a 3 giorni, o nel freezer fino a 30 giorni.



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Torta Margherita


(za 2 torte promjera 20 cm):
200 g šećera
125 g jaja
150 g žumanjaka
100 g brašna
100 g škrobnog brašna
50 g maslaca (otopljenog i ohlađenog na 40-42°C)
1/2 mahune vanilije
1 srednje jaje = 60 g, sam žumanjak oko 20 g


Stavite šećer, nastrugane sjemenke 1/2 mahune vanilije i cijela jaja u zdjelu i mutite mikserom dok ne dobijete čvrstu pjenastu masu.
I dalje muteći mikserom, dodajte žumanjke i nastavite mutiti smjesu dok nije tako čvrsta da kad podignete žice miksera smjesa “piše” tj. ostavlja nakratko trag.
Pažljivo i postepeno dodajite brašno koje ste pomiješali i prosijali sa škrobnim brašnom, miješajući pjenjačom ili drvenom žlicom, pažljivim pokretima da ne izgubite zrak iz smjese.
Na kraju jednako pažljivo umiješajte otopljeni maslac (važno je da temperatura bude 40-42°C da biste ostvarili dobar rezultat).
Sipajte smjesu u namašten i pobrašnjen kalup i poravnajte špatulom (ni u kom slučaju ne udarajte kalup od stol i izbjegavajte općenito nagle pokrete).
Pecite tortu u pećnici zagrijanoj na 180°C (160°C ako je pećnica ventilirana), 22 minute. Izvadite iz kalupa i ostavite da se ohladi.


*Teško je da će torta preživjeti dan, ali savjetuje se čuvati je u hladnjaku do 3 dana zaštićenu od vlage ili je možete zamrznuti do 30 dana.