Lemon ciambella (Italian ring cake)

Cake for breakfast? In Italy that’s a si, per favore! And while any cake will do, the traditional ciambella is customary. It is simple and quick to make, and stays moist for a good few days as it sits on the bench, sliced as needed. You can swap the lemon zest for orange or add vanilla extract or the seeds from a vanilla bean instead.

The classic tin is ring-shaped and can be bought at specialty Italian cooking supply shops or online. Alternatively, a savarin or bundt tin can be used. Ingredients 200g caster sugar zest of 1 lemon 4 eggs 200ml extra virgin olive oil 250g full-fat natural yoghurt 250g self-raising flour 1⁄2 tsp sea salt icing sugar, to dust Method Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).



Grease and flour a 26cm ciambella, savarin or bundt tin. Set aside. In a large bowl, place the sugar and lemon zest.

Rub the lemon zest into the sugar using your fingertips until it is damp and fragrant. Whisk in the eggs until they’re well combined. Follow with the olive oil and yoghurt, whisking well.

Add the flour and salt and whisk until just combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

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