The corollo is a typical dessert of the Island of Elba, which seems to date back to the May Day celebration in Campese, during which young men courting girls would dedicate the "Canto del Maggio" to the unmarried girls of the village. The girls, the following morning, would give the young singers the typical hole-in-the-middle cake, which they would thread one by one onto decorated sticks placed on special carts.
Over time, the corollo has become a symbol of friendliness that family and relatives exchange during celebrations and is prepared to celebrate an event; a traditional dessert that is always present on Elban tables when Christmas or Easter approach.
Difficulty: easy
Cost: low
Serves: 6 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Elban wine pairing: Elba Ansonica Passito D.O.C.
Ingredients
500 g of flour, 150 g of butter, 300 g of sugar, 4 eggs, a shot glass of anise liqueur, a glass of milk, grated lemon zest, one packet of yeast.
Preparation
Place the flour in a mound, and in the center pour the previously beaten eggs and the butter softened by the warmth of your hands.
Also add the sugar, the liqueur, the grated lemon zest, and the glass of lukewarm milk, in which the baking powder has been dissolved.
Mix everything by kneading the dough for a long time. Grease and flour a bundt pan and pour the dough into it, then bake at moderate heat (180°) for about ¾ hour.
Once baked, let the corollo cool before serving it dusted with powdered sugar.
Recipe from “Zuppe e Stornelli” by Alvaro Claudi and Sergio Rossi
As with other Elban recipes, there is also a slightly different version of the corollo: a poorer version from the village of Marciana Marina.
Ingredients
600 g of all-purpose flour, 500 g of sugar, 6 eggs, one packet of yeast, ½ grated lemon, one cup of oil, one tablespoon of liqueur, anise seeds.
Preparation
Whip the egg whites with a tablespoon of liqueur until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and add the oil. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites and gradually add the sifted flour and yeast.
Flavor the mixture with the anise seeds and some grated lemon zest.
Place a sheet of parchment paper and pour some of the dough onto it.
Grease your hands and shape the dough into a corollo, making sure to widen the central hole well.
Place it in the oven at 200° C for about 10/15 minutes.
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