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1
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Lightly oil an ovenproof dish or terracotta tian. Set aside. The brocciu should be 24–48 hours old; same-day brocciu retains excess moisture and will not set correctly.
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2
Beat the eggs with the caster sugar until pale and doubled in volume. The air incorporated at this stage is the sole leavening agent: it is what gives fiadone its soufflé-light texture. The mixture is ready when it falls from the whisk in a thick, continuous ribbon.
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3
Mash the brocciu until smooth. Add the lemon or cédrat zest and, if using, the eau-de-vie de châtaigne or mirto. Stir to combine. The zest is the aromatic anchor of the dish — it is essential, not optional. Fold the beaten egg and sugar mixture into the brocciu with a light hand, preserving as much volume as possible. The batter is ready when it is uniform in colour and no streaks of egg remain.
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4
This is the step where the dish lives or dies: pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake at 180 °C for 30–35 minutes. Pull the fiadone from the oven when the surface is golden and the edges are fully set but the centre still carries a distinct, gentle wobble when the dish is moved. Fiadone continues to set as it cools; a centre that appears just underdone in the oven will reach the correct yielding texture at room temperature. A centre baked to full rigidity in the oven will be over-set and dense once cold.
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5
Allow the fiadone to cool completely in the dish at room temperature. It will settle and deflate slightly as it cools — this is correct. Dust with a light veil of icing sugar only once fully cooled. Serve at room temperature. Do not refrigerate: cold firms the brocciu and closes the flavour.