Ciaramicola Umbra al Limone con Glassa di Zucchero

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 200 g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 120 ml Alchermes liqueur
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 lemon, zest only, finely grated
• 1 tbsp anise seeds, traditional Perugian addition
• 16 g baking powder
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For the glassa
• 200 g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 egg white, at room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• To decorate
• 30 g confettini, coloured sugar sprinkles
• To prepare the mould
• 15 g unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
• 20 g plain flour, for dusting

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 170 °C. Butter and flour a 22–24 cm savarin or ring mould thoroughly, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
2. 2
   Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and slightly increased in volume. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next. Add the lemon zest and anise seeds. The mixture should be smooth, pale and cohesive — no visible streaks of unmixed butter.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies: pour in the Alchermes and mix until the batter is uniformly, vividly red throughout. Alchermes cannot be substituted — it provides both the defining crimson colour and the spice-floral flavour that are the entire identity of the ciaramicola. Any pale or streaked area indicates incomplete incorporation.
4. 4
   Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into the red batter in two additions, working only until no dry flour remains visible. Do not continue beyond this point — overworking develops gluten and the crumb will be tough rather than dense and tender.
5. 5
   Pour the batter into the prepared mould, smoothing the surface level. Bake at 170 °C until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the ring comes out clean and the surface is set and pulling fractionally from the mould edges.
6. 6
   Turn the cake onto a wire rack set over a tray. Allow it to cool for no more than ten minutes — the cake must still be distinctly warm when iced. Prepare the glassa: whisk the egg white with the lemon juice until foamy, then beat in the sifted icing sugar until the mixture is thick, bright white and falls from the whisk in a slow, heavy ribbon that holds its shape on the surface for several seconds.
7. 7
   Spoon the glassa over the warm cake immediately, working it across the top and letting it settle naturally down the sides. The warmth of the cake draws the icing into the surface so it bonds firmly. The finished coat should be opaque and white, with no pink showing through — if it runs too freely, it is too thin and will not set properly.
8. 8
   While the glassa is still wet, scatter the confettini over the surface and press them in gently with one fingertip so they are anchored in the icing. The icing should still be tacky to the touch — if it has already formed a skin, the sprinkles will not adhere.