Heart-shaped Mantovana Cake
4/6 slices
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Description
The Mantovana is a soft, orange flavored butter cake, made with free-range eggs, flour and sugar, and covered with almond grains.
For Valentine's Day, and other special occasions, it is baked in the shape of a heart.
It does not contain yeast.
Just like a homemade cake, it is best enjoyed within the first few days of it being made and in any case within the recommended dates.
Recommended pairings:
- Coffee or Tea
- Moscato d'Asti, fruit extracts -
History
In 1875 two nuns from Mantua, during a pilgrimage to Rome, were hosted by Antonio Mattei: to thank him for the hospitality, they gifted him the recipe for this cake which takes its name from their city.
Antonio Mattei made his own version of this recipe, the one still on sale in our stores, and also celebrated by Pellegrino Artusi in his famous 1891 book 'Science in the kitchen with the art of eating well'.
The historic cake has been baked in the shape of a heart on the days around Valentine’s Day since 2015. -
Ingredients
EGGS, WHEAT flour, BUTTER, sugar, natural orange flavor, ALMONDS, raising agent (disodium diphosphate, sodium bicarbonati, soft WHEAT starch).
May contain SOY, PISTACHIOS, HAZELNUTS and MUSTARD.
Icing sugar sachet: sugar, WHEAT starch, vanillin. -
SizesWidth17 cmHeight6 cmDepth10 cm
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Nutrition declarationAverage quantity for100gENERGY2000kj487kcalFATof which saturates31g16gCARBOHYDRATEof which sugars40g17gFIBRE2.2gPROTEIN10gSALT0.12g
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Notes
After a few days the cake regains its natural softness if slightly heated.