Theo Randall’s torta sacripantina (cherry and raspberry genoise)
- Published: 6 Sep 24
- Updated: 16 Sep 24
Torta sacripantina is a dessert from Italy’s Liguria region. Theo Randall shares his recipe for this genoise cake with cherries, raspberries and zabaione.
“The genoise sponge in this cake is incredibly light and fluffy, but the creamy zabaione, maraschino cherries and raspberries really bring it to life,” says Theo. “I call it a grandma cake, as it’s typically made at home or in little cafés, usually in a big dome shape. It’s one of my all-time favourite desserts.”
After training in classical French cooking, Theo joined The River Cafe in 1989, where he built up his knowledge of Italian cuisine and guided the now-famous west London restaurant to its first Michelin star in 1997. In 2006 he launched Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. It’s still going strong today. His most recent cookbook is Verdura (Quadrille £28).
Enjoyed this recipe? Check out Theo’s torta barozzi (flourless chocolate cake), too. And discover more recipes from the length and breadth of Italy in our special hub.
- Serves 10
- Hands-on time 40 min, plus 1 hour chilling. Oven time 20 min, plus cooling
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 50g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
- 6 medium eggs
- 170g caster sugar
- Finely grated zest 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 170g plain flour, sifted
For the zabaione cream
- 5 medium egg yolks
- 75g caster sugar
- 75ml sweet marsala wine
- 150ml double cream
- 25g icing sugar
To finish
- 100g maraschino cherries (drained weight), plus 50ml of the liquid
- 500g raspberries, plus extra to decorate
Specialist kit
- 30cm x 20cm x 4-5cm deep baking tray
Method
- Begin with the sponge. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Grease the baking tray with butter, then line with baking paper. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar, orange zest and vanilla for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the sifted flour, trying not to knock out too much air, then fold in the melted butter. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared tray, then give it a few taps on the work surface to even it out and encourage the mixture to reach the corners. Bake for 20 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the zabaione cream. Put the egg yolks, sugar and marsala in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Whisk constantly for 5 minutes using an electric mixer – the mixture should become light and mousse-like and increase in volume. Set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the double cream and icing sugar together until they form soft peaks (which flop over when you take away the whisk). Using a large metal spoon, gently fold together with the cooled zabaione.
- Put the maraschino cherries, the 50ml cherry liquid and the raspberries in a food processor and whizz for 2 minutes until smooth. Set aside.
- To make the cake, halve the sponge horizontally using a bread knife. With the cut sides facing up, spread the raspberry mixture all over both – it will soak into the cake. Add half the zabaione cream to the bottomhalf sponge, then carefully lift the other sponge on top (cut-side down) to make a sandwich. Spread the remaining zabaione cream all over the top using a warm palette knife, then put the cake in the fridge to set for 1 hour. Place even rows of fresh raspberries on top, then slice into rectangles to serve.
- Recipe from September 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 404kcals
- Fat
- 18g (9.1g saturated)
- Protein
- 8.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 48g (35g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3.1g
- Salt
- 0.2g
delicious. tips
Lightly beat the leftover egg whites and freeze in portions. Use to make meringues, mousses and glazes.
The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Maraschino cherries are whole preserved cherries soaked in maraschino liqueur. We like the Luxardo brand, from Amazon and Lakeland.
Buy ingredients online
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