Paradise Cake {Authentic Recipe}

Paradise Cake got its name for a reason.

Imagine super soft, buttery cake that literally melts in your mouth.

Best part? You don’t even need any cream filling! It’s so rich, soft and buttery!

In its most traditional form Paradise cake is a single layer cake so rich and flavorful that any kind of cream is absolutely unnecessary.

Paradise Cake Origin

As legend goes, Paradise cake has been created centuries ago by a herbalist monk from the Certosa di Pavia. The religious subsequently proposed it to his confreres. The taste of the cake exceeded all the expectations and its excellence made them explained: “This cake is from paradise”. And this is how we know it today – Paradise Cake or Torta Del Paradiso”.

The first written Paradise Cake recipe dates back to 1878.

That year a famous Pastry Chef from Pavia (Lombardy region) shared his recipe making it spread all over Italy. You can still visit his Pastry Shop named “Pasticceria Vigoni” downtown on Pavia and taste this incredible cake.

However, if you have no plans on visiting Northern Italy anytime soon (no pan intended!) you can easily make it at home.

And then?

Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just kidding 😛

But definitely in the morning with your favorite morning drink or for a snack on a busy day.

It also pairs perfectly with a shot of homemade limoncello.

How To Make Paradise Cake – Step By Step

Start by adding butter and half of the sugar in a large bowl.

Beat well for good few minutes until butter becomes fluffy and airy.

Add egg yolks and continue beating until well combined.

Add potato starch, flour and baking powder passed through a sieve. Mix well making sure to scrub the bottom and the sides of the bowl of any flour or potato starch lumps. 

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites. Once they become foamy add remaining sugar and beat until egg whites double or triple in size and soft peaks form.

Add lemon zest to the main batter.

Gently fold in the egg whites a couple of spoons at a time. Fold moving your spatula from top to bottom until you finish all the egg whites.

Rub 8-9 inch (20-23 cm) baking pan with a small piece of butter.

Dust with flour and remove excess.

Transfer the cake batter into the baking pan and gently level it with a spatula. It should fill 2/3 of the height of the pan.

Bake in a preheated to 180° C (350° F) oven for about 45-55 minutes. Do a toothpick test – if it come out clean, non sticky from the center of the cake – it’s ready.

Time in the oven depends on the baking pan. The smaller the diameter of the pan the higher will be the cake, the more time it’ll need in the oven to cook through.

Let your Paradise Cake cool and dust it with confectioners sugar.

Full Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Paradise Cake

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Paradise Cake is a super soft, buttery cake that literally melts in your mouth. Best part? It's so soft and creamy that it doesn't need any cream filling!

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Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• ▢ 300 g powdered sugar or granulated sugar (see notes)
• ▢ 300 g butter , softened at room temperature
• ▢ 150 g flour
• ▢ 150 g potato starch
• ▢ 6 egg yolks
• ▢ 4 egg whites
• ▢ 1 tbsp baking powder
• ▢ 1 lemon zest only
• ▢ Confectioners sugar for dusting

• 9 inch Springform Pan

Instructions

• Start by adding butter and half of the powdered sugar or granulated sugar in a large bowl. Beat well for good few minutes until butter becomes fluffy, airy and lighter in color.
• Add egg yolks and continue beating until well combined.
• Add potato starch, flour and baking powder passed through a sieve. Mix well making sure to scrub the bottom and the sides of the bowl of any flour or potato starch lumps.
• In a separate bowl beat the egg whites. Once they become foamy add remaining sugar and beat until egg whites double or triple in size and soft peaks form.
• Add lemon zest to the main batter.
• Gently fold in the egg whites a couple of spoons at a time. Fold moving your spatula from top to bottom until you finish all the egg whites.
• Rub 8-9 inch (20-23 cm) baking pan with a small piece of butter.
• Dust with flour and remove excess.
• Transfer the cake batter into the baking pan and gently level it with a spatula. It should fill 2/3 of the height of the pan.
• Bake in a preheated to 180° C (350° F) oven for about 45-55 minutes. Do a toothpick test – if it come out clean, non sticky from the center of the cake – it’s ready.
• Let your Paradise Cake cool and dust it with confectioners sugar.

Notes

Note 1: Using powdered or confectioners sugar give the best results since it makes the cake even more fluffy and airy. If you don’t have enough of it use granulated sugar. Just make sure to beat it with butter for a little bit more.

Note 2: Time in the oven depends on the baking pan. The smaller the diameter of the pan the higher will be the cake, the more time it’ll need in the oven to cook through.

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As I said this cake is so soft and moist that it doesn’t need any kind of cream filling. But if you really want to go all in, divide the cake in 2 layers and spread it with whipped cream. Heaven on Earth 😊

Buon Appetito!