Sweet casatiello, the Easter cake: the recipe

Casatiello dolce is one of the sweets of Easter in Sorrento: a large sweet bread, tall and soft, fragrant with lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and rum. Not to be confused with the better-known Neapolitan casatiello, which is savoury and packed with cheese, cured meats and eggs, the sweet version is the fruit of patience: it is made in four successive doughs, left to rise for a long time, from the evening before right up to the moment it goes into the oven.

A cake that takes time

In the past, sweet casatiello was made in the days leading up to Easter, together with the pastiera, and the scent of the tins in the oven heralded the festival while the rites of Holy Week filled the streets. It starts with crescito, the bread leaven (sourdough starter), refreshed from one dough to the next. The recipe below is one of Grandma Rosaria's recipes: the amounts for each dough are given in the method.

Ingredients

• 1 kg flour (150 g for the first dough, 250 g for the second, 250 g for the third, 300 g for the fourth)
• 8 whole eggs
• 100 g butter
• 20 g fresh brewer's yeast
• 100 g bread leaven (crescito)
• 200 g milk
• 400 g sugar in total (100 g for the second dough, 100 g for the third, 200 g for the fourth)
• salt
• flavourings: grated lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla, rum
• diced candied citron (optional)

Method

1. First dough. The evening before, mix 150 g milk with 150 g flour and 100 g crescito: the dough should be quite soft. Leave it to rise overnight.
2. Second dough. Beat 2 eggs for a long time with 100 g sugar, 25 g butter, 250 g flour and a pinch of salt. Work it well, leave it to rest somewhere warm, then add it to the dough from the night before and knead everything for a long time. Leave to rise in a large bowl in a warm place.
3. Third dough. When the second dough has risen well, repeat the same process with the same amounts (2 eggs, 100 g sugar, 25 g butter, 250 g flour, a pinch of salt) and work it into the dough. Leave to rise again.
4. Fourth dough. Once risen, add 300 g flour, 200 g sugar, 50 g butter, 4 whole eggs, 20 g brewer's yeast, a pinch of salt and the flavourings: grated lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla and rum. Knead long and vigorously until you have a soft, velvety dough. If you like, add the candied citron at the end.
5. Place the dough in high-sided tins: it should come only a quarter of the way up.
6. Put the tins in a warm place, away from draughts, and cover them with woollen cloths to keep them warm.
7. When the dough has reached the rim of the tin, bake in a preheated moderate oven for about forty minutes.

Our tip

The real secret ingredient is time: don't move on to the next dough until the previous one is well risen, and knead for a long time, because that is what makes casatiello soft and stringy. It keeps well for a few days wrapped in a tea towel and is perfect for breakfast or after a meal with a small glass of limoncello. Discover more Easter customs on our page about traditions and events.