Cesarina Francesca's Brioche Cake

04/27/2025

What could be better than the aroma that fills the kitchen when we bake a dessert? Today, with our Cesarina Francesca from Scafati, a town just a few kilometers from Pompeii, we’re making a brioche cake that you can enjoy as a dessert after a meal or for breakfast.

The preparation isn’t overly complicated, but it does require patience due to the rising times. However, the wait will be worth it when you take the brioche out of the oven: golden, warm, and fragrant, with a crispy crust and a soft heart that will win over the whole family.

"I usually make this brioche with my children during the Christmas season, when we gather together with love: all around me, hands in the dough, covered in flour, but with so much joy in our hearts”.

Brioche Cake

Perfect for breakfast, its crispy crust and soft heart will win you over

DifficultyHard

Preparation time4h 30m

Cooking time30m

€

CostLow

Ingredients

350 g all-purpose flour
250 g medium-strength Manitoba flour
250 g milk
70 g sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
60 g + 80 g margarine
100 g sourdough starter
2 g salt
100 g unrefined cane sugar
5 g ground cinnamon (optional)

Method

Dissolve the sourdough starter in warm milk. In a bowl, pour the milk with the yeast, sugar, egg, and part of the flour. Mix well and knead until the dough becomes elastic.
When the mixture is still rough, add one yolk at a time, finishing with the margarine in two additions, then add the salt.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it rise until doubled in size (about 3 hours).
Roll out the dough to about 5 mm thickness.
Form a rectangle, brush it with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Roll it up, then cut it lengthwise, leaving about 2 cm intact at one end.
Twist the two parts over each other and join the ends to form a ring.
Place the wreath on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and let it rise for another hour.
Bake at 175°C for 25-30 minutes.
Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.