Zuccotto refers a molded and richly layered pastry cream filled sponge cake dessert. It is widely believed to have been inspired by the dome of Florence, Italy's, duomo (the city's main cathedral.) Others allude to its shape as closely resembling a cardinal's skullcap which is also called a zuccotto. This dome-shaped dessert begins with a bowl lined with liqueur-moistened cake. Usually pound cake or pan dispagna slices are used but ladyfingers are another alternative. The bowl is then filled with a mixture of sweetened whipped cream and/or pastry cream, chopped or grated chocolate and various chopped nuts before being topped with additional cake slices. The zuccotto is refrigerated at least a day so the filling can set. It's inverted onto a plate before being served. Although zuccotto is not associated with any specific holiday, it is commonly served at special family celebrations in Tuscany. It can be cooked in various ways

This is an Italian form of charlotte royale. In this dessert, triangles of sponge cake are placed in a bowl to form a shell for the filling. The filling consists of stiffly whipped cream which is studded with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate chips, and candied fruit. A final layer of cake is placed over this, and when well set, the dessert is inverted onto a platter to form a large dome, reminiscent of Florence's Duomo.

Zuccotto is pronounced "zoo-koht-toh"

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List of books: Zuccotto