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Colomba di pasqua topped with almonds and icing sugar.
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Quick Colomba di Pasqua - No Yeast Italian Easter Cake

A simplified version of the traditional Italian Easter cake, this is an EASY Colomba di Pasqua recipe made without yeast. No messy kneading and no waiting for dough to rise!
Course Cake, Dessert, Easter
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 Pieces
Calories 354kcal
Cost $8

Ingredients

Optional fillings - pick one or use all!

For the topping

  • 2 tbsp icing sugar plus extra for dusting
  • ¾ tbsp water
  • ¼ cup almonds whole or slivered
  • 2 tbsp pearl sugar optional - if you can source it or make it

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C / 360˚F.
  • In a bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks, around 30 seconds - 1 minute.
    3 eggs
  • Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until lighter in colour and creamed.
    100 g butter, ¾ cup caster sugar / superfine sugar
  • Continue beating on low and add in the egg yolks, milk, almond extract, orange and lemon zest.
    3 eggs, ½ cup milk, 1 orange zest, 1 lemon zest, 1 tsp almond extract
  • Add the self raising flour over three batches, beating on medium until well combined.
    2 ½ cups self raising flour
  • Pour in any optional fillings (candied peel, sultanas or chocolate chips) and mix in.
    ⅓ cup candied lemon and orange peel, ⅓ cup sultanas, ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  • Using a spoon, slowly fold through the beaten egg whites into the batter. Don’t overmix it at this stage, to keep a nice amount of air in the mixture.
  • Pour out the batter into your colomba mould, homemade mould or a regular baking tin. Note: If using a mould, place onto a tray to keep the shape and avoid spills.

For the topping

  • Mix together the icing sugar and water to form a runny syrup / paste. Using a brush, drip it all over the top.
    2 tbsp icing sugar, ¾ tbsp water
  • Finally, place a handful of almonds and optional pearl sugar over the cake and dust with an extra sprinkle of icing sugar.
    ¼ cup almonds, 2 tbsp pearl sugar, 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until cooked through (check with a skewer) - oven times will vary. At the 20 minute point, cover with a sheet of aluminium foil to stop the top burning.
  • Allow to cool before removing the mould and / or slicing the cake.

Notes

  • Shape - Don’t be too worried about getting the perfect Easter dove bread shape. Even commercial versions don’t often look like doves! It’s the intention, enjoyment and taste that counts. 
  • Baking - Place a baking tray underneath your dove mould to catch any potential drips if the dough spills over while baking.
  • Colour - Cover the cake with foil after 15-20 minutes to stop it getting too dark on top. 
  • Storage - Colomba cake will keep for around 1 week at room temperature. Keep it covered / in an airtight container to avoid it drying out. You can also keep it in the fridge or freeze it.
  • Tweak the Dough - Add your favourite cake fillings like raisins, dried fruit or chocolate chips, or leave them out for a plain version (more like pandoro).
  • Toppings - No pearl sugar? Sprinkle it with hagelslag chocolate sprinkles or regular sprinkles. Or try it with slivered or sliced almonds, walnuts or pistachios.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg