Ciambella (Italian Ring Cake)

bundt cake cut on a dish with a slice and strawberries behind

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You can make this easy Ciambella in 45 minutes, and you don't need a mixer! You'll love this Italian lemon pound cake.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Mamma C

Equipment

Ingredients

3 extra-large eggs (room temperature)
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (from two medium lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned into cups and leveled with a knife)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from two medium lemons)
7 Tablespoons salted butter (melted)
3 Tablespoons milk (can use whole, 2% or fat-free half and half)
powdered sugar (to sprinkle on baked cake)

Instructions

An hour before you make the cake, set out the eggs at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. (Don't use any flour.)
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium mixing bowl. (You can place a large, fine-mesh strainer over the bowl and add the dry ingredients to the strainer. Tap the sides of the strainer to sift the flour mixture.)
Rinse two medium lemons and pat them dry. Zest the lemons until you have one tablespoon of zest. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze them until you have ½ cup of lemon juice.
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar and use a whisk to mix until combined and the color is light yellow. Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
Cut up the butter and add it to a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds, lightly covered with wax paper. When the butter is nearly melted, add 3 tablespoons of milk and heat the butter and milk a few more seconds until the butter is melted. Whisk to combine.
Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the egg mixture in the large bowl. Whisk until blended. Add some of the liquid butter mixture and lemon juice and mix. Continue alternating the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients, whisking after each addition.
Transfer the batter to the greased Bundt pan. Use a silicone spatula to smooth out the top and even it out. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes, just until the top is golden, the sides are brown and an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Let the Ciambella rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, invert it onto a cooling rack so the curved ridges of the cake are on top. When cooled completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

How to store Ciambella so it doesn't get dry

Wrap this Italian breakfast cake in plastic, especially covering the cut sections. It can stay for a couple of days at room temperature like this.
For longer storage, slice the Ciambella into portions and freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw each slice at room temperature or in the microwave.
To freeze a whole cake or a partial cake that won't fit into a zip-top bag, wrap the cake in plastic, then a double layer of foil beforehand.
If your slice of leftover cake seems dry, heat it in the microwave for around 10 seconds to soften it.

Options if you don't have a Bundt pan

Use a 10-inch tube pan.
Use a springform pan with a small mason jar placed upside down in the center.
Use a deep, round cake pan with an upside-down jar in the middle, or a can filled with dry rice in the center.

Nutrition