APEROL SPRITZ CAKE

a sign of summer

SWEET TEETH

Although the solstice is still a few weeks away, signs of summer are popping up everywhere. Sharp or flat renditions of “Pop! Goes the Weasel” blare out of ice cream trucks on just about every street corner. Men, who look as though they’ve been carved from marble, run shirtless down the sidewalk in front of my apartment. My hand has broken out in hives because I’m allergic to the sun and didn’t apply my SPF 100 sufficiently. And I suddenly have a craving to gulp down Aperol Spritzes as though they were water.

To satisfy my thirst for summer’s start, I decided to develop a cake, while it’s cool enough at night for me to justify cranking up the oven for a prolonged period. I add quite a bit of orange zest to the base of the cake to echo the citrusy sweetness of the Aperol glaze that tops it. I also opted to use champagne in the sponge, which rounds out the cake with a bit of acidity and adds to the lightness of the crumb. I chose to develop the recipe using Aperol in my icing, but I think it would be great with any apéritif or amaro you’d make a spritz with (Campari would give it a more bitter finish if you want to temper down the sweetness). The result is a delicate, bright cake, perfect for enjoying poolside or on a picnic blanket in the park.

Your first bite of this will supplant Mother Nature and set off all the sweetness summer has to offer!

THE RECIPE

APEROL SPRITZ CAKE

makes a one pound (8.5 x 4.5 inch) loaf cake*

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp (6g) baking powder

• 1 tsp (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt**

• 2/3 cup (156g) Champagne

• 2/3 cup (140g) neutral oil (such as grapeseed or vegetable)

• 1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon (~6g) orange zest, from 1 large orange, plus more for serving

• 2 large (100g) eggs

For the glaze:

• 1 cup (128g) powdered sugar

• 3 tbsp (42g) Aperol, or other apéritif

Directions:

1. Preheat & prep: Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a one-pound (8.5 x 4.5 inch) loaf pan with neutral oil before lining it with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the long side to easily lift out later.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients: Whisk together your all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Whisk together your wet ingredients: In a measuring cup, whisk together your oil, Champagne, and vanilla.

4. Make your cake batter: Add your granulated sugar to a large bowl, and massage your orange zest into the sugar by rubbing between your fingers to release any oils until it resembles wet sand. Add in your eggs, and whisk vigorously until the mixture has thickened a little and lightened in color, 1 minute. Stream your measuring cup of wet ingredients into the sugar mixture, whisking constantly until homogenous. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in your whisked wet mixture. Gently whisk together until smooth and no dry spots remain, careful not to overmix.

5. Bake: Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan. Bake on the oven's middle rack until deeply golden and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes, rotating 180° halfway through the bake time. Let cool completely in the pan.

6. Make your glaze: When your cake is mostly cool, add your powdered sugar and Aperol to a bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.

7. Glaze, slice & serve: Once the cake is fully cool, lift it out of the pan and place it onto a serving dish. Pour your glaze evenly over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let set for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

8. Leftovers?: Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes:

*You can bake this cake in a 9-inch round pan if you want to, just be sure to adjust the baking time (it will be around half).
**If you’re using any other type or brand of salt (i.e. Morton, or sea salt), I suggest scaling back by 1/2.

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