Why include this cake on an Emilia-Romagna food blog? Simple. Though its roots are in South Tyrol, recipes like buckwheat cake reveal how culinary traditions travel and become part of personal histories, even outside their region of origin.
Over time, my recipe collection has become a map of experiences, tracing both my life and the region, growing deeper each year.
Among the recipes I have discovered over the years, buckwheat cake stands out as a cherished flavor from South Tyrol.
It tastes of cold wind, clear skies, and simple flavors.
I cut the cake, choose my slice, sit down, and sink my teeth in. These days, my thoughts follow one another as quickly as clouds driven by a mischievous wind.
I thought that a new professional adventure awaited me in 2019, but I made the wrong choices.
I left everything behind for the wrong path. These things happen. Even if we hardly ever talk about mistakes. And about the fact that before they become opportunities, they make you feel tears welling up in your eyes and a heavy weight on your shoulders.
I’ve been baking this buckwheat cake for weeks. In fact, I love the mountains and how I feel when I’m there. And this craving for buckwheat cake expresses my desire for simple things and for returning to a calm mind.
In no time at all, only crumbs will remain of the cake. The same goes for life.
Once again, all that remains is to roll up my sleeves and continue on my way until the sun shines high in my sky again.
How do you deal with moments of sadness?
For me, cooking is therapy. Sometimes, a good recipe is as valuable as a medical prescription.
In Italian, the word ricetta refers to both a medical prescription and the process of cooking a dish.
My recipe for buckwheat cake with olive oil
I have made this cake many times over the years for breakfast at Casa Nora, the bed and breakfast I ran with my husband for several years, and I can say it has earned a gold medal. I think it is on a par with the ciambella of Romagna with Nutella.
The recipe is gluten-free. My version is also butter-free.
I did many tests to replace the butter fat with olive oil so you wouldn’t miss the former or taste the latter, which is foreign to a traditional mountain cake.
The recipe is precise; if you follow the ingredient proportions and steps, the result is guaranteed.
Buckwheat flour
Buckwheat arrived in Italy in the late 14th or early 15th centuries. Thriving in cold mountain regions, it soon became a staple of the Alpine area, shaping local recipes like the buckwheat cake I now share.
Today, it’s an ingredient I use often, as you can see from the recipes I’ve shared on the blog:
Keep in Touch
- I write a newsletter called Kitchen Notes from Bologna, where you can find stuff about food history, culinary memories, and recipes.
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Buckwheat cake (with olive oil)
This buckwheat cake with olive oil has a rich flavor. The sweet is also gluten-free.
Servings 6 serves
Equipment
- 1 springform pan: 20 cm diameter
Ingredients
- 150 g of fine buckwheat flour
- 150 g of hazelnut flour or finely chopped hazelnuts; almonds are also fine
- 15 g of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 g of brown sugar
- 3 eggs, approx. 160-170 g
- 50 g of olive oil
- 100 g of milk at room temperature
For the filling
- 250 g of raspberry, blueberry, or mixed berry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C (338°F) on the static setting.
- In a bowl, mix the buckwheat flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the whole eggs with the sugar using an electric whisk for 4 minutes or until the mixture is fluffy.
- Then, without turning off the electric whisk, slowly add the olive oil to the mixture.
- Finally, add the flour, then milk. Mix the ingredients with an electric whisk for 2 minutes.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper, pour in the mixture, and bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Alternatively, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake during the last few minutes of baking. If it comes out dry and clean, the cake is ready. If there are any moist batter or crumbs on the toothpick, continue baking for another 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before removing the cake from the mold and cutting it in half to fill with jam.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
Tips
- It can be stored for several days at room temperature outside the refrigerator.
- Serve the cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side to turn it into a tasty dessert.
