Traditional cakes: the Ceremito (or Cerimito) and the Sportella

These two recipes originate from a very old tradition in the town of Rio nell'Elba. On Palm Sunday morning, the young man from Rio would leave a basket full of flowers with the ceremito (or cerimito), a traditional male Easter sweet, for his beloved.

If the girl appreciated the gift and thus the declaration of love, for Easter she would gift the young man the sportella, which was ribboned and blessed.

The next day, during the traditional picnic at the Eremo di Santa Caterina, the two lovers would meet to consume their love token.

Sportella

Ingredients for six sportelle

1 kg of flour, 500 g of sugar, 100 g of butter, 6 eggs, 2 sachets of yeast, half a glass of milk, grated zest of one lemon, a handful of anise seeds, colored sugar granules as needed.

Preparation

Whisk the eggs with sugar and the grated lemon zest. Gradually add the flour and previously melted butter, then mix in the yeast. With the dough, form a ball, lightly flouring it and working it briefly to avoid "burning" it. Let it rest for at least an hour and divide it into six equal parts. Form elongated cylinders, shaping them into a horseshoe with crossed ends. Slightly flatten them. Brush the surface with a beaten egg yolk mixed with a bit of water and sprinkle with colored sugar granules. Bake at 180°C.

Ceremito (or Cerimito)

Ingredients for six ceremiti

1 kg of flour, 200 g of walnuts, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 tablespoons of sugar or honey, 2 tablespoons of anise seeds, the grated zest of two oranges, 3 eggs, 25 g of yeast dissolved in lukewarm water, a pinch of pepper, salt.

Preparation

Place the flour in a mound and gradually add all the ingredients. Then knead as you would for bread. Let it rise for about two hours, and with the dough, form cylinders 40 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter. Take the ends of the cylinders and, after aligning them, wrap them around themselves three or four times, leaving a large loop at the top. Bake at 180°C.