CAMPARI CAKE
I turned a Campari soda into a slice of cake.
While I was in Florence earlier this summer, I saw a glass jar labeled Negroni cookies on the counter at Giacosa. I fell for the bar’s claim to be the birthplace of my favorite cocktail, the Negroni (hence the cookie), and its long history of ownership changes, including some time run by Roberto Cavalli. I sadly found it sceney, soulless and overpriced. Still, on my way out, I bought one of those adorable and inspired cookies, tiny and bright red with a chewy cube of candied orange pressed into each one.
Just like the bar they came from, they disappointed me. What I bit into was dry, bland, and unpleasantly bitter. But it had potential. If the cookie had been soft and chewy, if the bitterness were balanced out with a glaze or a coat of crunchy sugar, it could have been something incredible. I thought so much about this, that when I returned home, I immediately started playing around with the idea of a Negroni cake, but I didn’t want to work with vermouth or develop a recipe that required three different liquors. What I ended up with was this plush, not-too-sweet orange & Campari cake, glazed with more Campari and blood orange juice. It reminds me of a Campari soda — light and refreshing, the right amount of bitter, good at all times of the day, and best served with a slice of orange.
CAMPARI CAKE
Makes 1 8-inch cake
INGREDIENTS
ORANGE & CAMPARI CAKE
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 oranges, juiced and zested
1 stick salted butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Campari
CAMPARI GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice (I used a blood orange for a deeper pink color)
1 tablespoon Campari
Pinch of kosher salt
1 optional orange (for decorating purposes)
PREP
BAKE THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch cake pan (anything similar — an 8-inch square pan, a 9-inch round pan, a similar sized cast iron skillet — will be just fine) with a parchment round or spray it with Pam.
In a large bowl, use your fingers to combine the 3/4 cup of sugar and zest from 2 oranges. Once the sugar feels like wet sand, is bright yellow and smells intensely of orange, add the 1 stick of softened, salted butter and beat everything together for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale yellow. Mix in the 2 egg yolks on medium speed until completely combined. Scraping around the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for another 10 seconds.
Whisk together the 1 1/3 cup flour, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in another bowl. Add one half of the dry mixture to the wet one and whisk in by hand. Before that is completely combined, whisk in the juice from 2 oranges and 3 tablespoons of Campari. Finally, whisk in the remaining dry ingredients and set the bowl aside.
Beat the reserved 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form, and immediately fold those into the Campari cake batter. Do not mind the pale peach color, it is going to bake beautifully.
Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish, whatever it may be, and bake in the preheated oven. Start checking for doneness around the 20-minute mark. When a knife or toothpick slid into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs on it, and when the top of the cake is a beautiful, toasted orange color, it’s ready. Let it cool in the pan for a bit while you make the glaze.
MAKE THE GLAZE & FINISH THE CAKE
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of Campari and a pinch of kosher salt until you have a thick but pourable glaze. The texture can be easily toyed with — thin it out with a splash of Campari or orange juice or thicken it by vigorously whisking in a couple more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
A TIP: I used a blood orange in the glaze for a deeper pink color.
Finish the cake by removing it from the pan and placing it on whatever plate you plan to serve it on. Make sure it’s appropriately cooled. It should be only faintly warm, this typically takes at least 45 minutes. Once it’s there, pour the glaze over the cake. Serve immediately or let the glaze set, cover it, and serve it after dinner. I topped each slice with a thin slice of blood orange. Enjoy with a Campari soda or in place of one.
