Equipment
Ingredients
Pan di Spagna (Sponge Cake)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 120 g caster sugar
- 120 g plain flour, sifted twice
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 g salt
Marsala Prunes and Sauce
- 300 g dried pitted prunes
- 120 ml sweet marsala wine
- 100 ml water
- 50 g caster sugar
Mascarpone Cream
- 250 g mascarpone cheese, chilled
- 200 ml heavy cream, chilled
- 50 g icing sugar, sifted
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 527 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 75 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 47 g
- Sodium
- 106 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 121 mg
- Potassium
- 365 mg
- Calcium
- 118 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 25 mg
- Phosphorus
- 108 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 325 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 23 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.25 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 18 mcg
- Water
- 71 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F. Line only the bottom of a 20cm round cake pan with parchment paper, leaving the sides ungreased.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the room temperature eggs, caster sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage. It should be very thick, pale, and fall back on itself in slowly dissolving ribbons.
Sift the flour and salt over the whipped egg mixture in three additions. Gently fold each addition using a wide spatula, scraping from the bottom and lifting up to retain maximum air.
Pour the batter gently into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 175C or 350F without opening the oven door, until the top is deeply golden and springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove the sponge cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan. Once totally cool, run a thin knife around the edge to release it.
In a saucepan, combine the dried prunes, Marsala wine, water, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook until the prunes are very soft and the liquid has reduced to a thin syrup.
Pour the mixture through a sieve placed over a bowl to catch the cooking syrup. Set the syrup aside to cool, and divide the strained prunes into two equal halves.
Finely chop one half of the strained prunes. Set these aside to be used in the cake filling.
Transfer the remaining half of the whole prunes and the reserved cooking syrup to a blender. Puree until completely smooth to create the serving sauce.
In a clean bowl, whip the chilled mascarpone, heavy cream, icing sugar, and vanilla extract until medium-stiff peaks form. Watch closely and do not overwhip.
Using a serrated knife, slice the cooled sponge cake horizontally into two even layers. Spread half of the mascarpone cream over the bottom layer, scatter the chopped prunes evenly over the cream, and place the top cake layer over the filling.
Spread the remaining mascarpone cream smoothly over the top of the cake. Slice and serve with a generous drizzle of the pureed prune sauce.
Chef's Notes
- For the highest volume pan di spagna, place your uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 10 minutes before whipping. Warm eggs whip much better than cold ones.
- Never grease the sides of your cake pan for this style of sponge. The batter needs to grip the bare metal to climb and rise evenly during baking.
- If the prune puree is too thick to pour elegantly, thin it out with a teaspoon of hot water or an extra splash of Marsala wine until it reaches the desired consistency.
- A traditional pan di spagna contains no baking powder. Its entire lift relies on the air whipped into the eggs, so patience during the whipping stage is absolutely critical.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep covered in an airtight container to prevent the sponge from drying out
Troubleshooting
Sponge cake is dense and flat
Cause: The egg foam was deflated during the folding process, or the eggs were not whipped to a full ribbon stage
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Whip the eggs for a full 10 to 15 minutes until very thick, and use deliberate, gentle folding motions with a wide spatula when adding flour
Mascarpone cream looks split or grainy
Cause: Overmixing the cheese and cream, or using ingredients at different temperatures
Fix: Gently fold in an extra tablespoon of cold, unwhipped heavy cream to try and re-emulsify
Prevention: Ensure both mascarpone and heavy cream are very cold, and whip only until the mixture just holds a peak
Cultural Context
Pan di Spagna is the foundational sponge cake of Italian pastry, celebrated for its incredibly airy texture achieved entirely without chemical leavening. Pairing it with prunes and mascarpone draws heavily on Northern Italian traditions, where preserved winter fruits are elevated through careful steeping in fortified regional wines like Marsala.
