David Herbert’s Italian sweet tooth

Get your sweet Italian groove on with these three recipes - orange polenta cake, taralli and almond & lemon biscottini.

Moreish: almond and lemon biscottini. Picture: Guy Bailey

This classic Italian syrup cake owes its special texture to the inclusion of fine polenta or cornmeal. Taralli (or tarallini) are small, crisp snacks popular in the south of Italy – perfect served with a drink or cheese and charcuterie.

Orange polenta cake. Picture: Guy Bailey

Orange polenta cake

185g butter

185g caster sugar plus 2 tablespoons for glaze

Juice and zest from 2 navel oranges

185g self-raising flour

3 eggs

60g polenta

Preheat oven to 180C (fan). Grease and line the base of a 20cm cake tin. Beat the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt until light and fluffy. Mix in the orange zest, along with a couple of tablespoonfuls of the flour. Beat in the eggs and a quarter of the juice. Fold in the rest of the flour and the polenta; transfer to tin and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes, until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Warm remaining juice with the extra two tablespoons of sugar, stirring until dissolved. Make holes in the cake with a skewer and spoon over the syrup, letting it soak in. Turn the cake out of the tin onto a serving plate and pour any remaining syrup over it while it’s warm. Serves 8

Taralli

550g plain flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons fennel seeds or 1 teaspoon crushed dried chilli (optional)

120g extra-virgin olive oil

200ml dry white wine

Preheat oven to 190C (fan); line two baking trays with baking paper. Place flour, salt and fennel seeds or chilli (if using) in the bowl of a benchtop mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the oil and wine and mix on slow until combined. Increase the speed a little and mix for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth. Transfer to a floured working surface and knead for a couple of minutes – the dough should be quite stiff but spring back when lightly pressed. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and rest 20 minutes. Take a piece of dough the size of a large olive and roll it out to a rope about 0.5cm thick. Join the ends, pressing lightly so they form a circle. Transfer to the baking trays; repeat with remaining dough. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil; add about 5-10 taralli at a time, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the baking trays. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (they will harden further). Serve sprinkled with extra salt, if desired; taralli will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 40

Almond & lemon biscottini

2 egg whites

180g caster sugar

250g ground almonds

1 tablespoon runny honey

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1½ cups icing sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180C (fan). Whisk egg whites with an electric beater until frothy, then add sugar and whisk for 2-3 minutes until thick. Add ground almonds, honey and zest and beat until combined. Place 1/2 cup icing sugar into a bowl; spoon a walnut-size piece of dough into it. Shape into a ball, tossing to coat with sugar; transfer to a lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining dough and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and cracked. Allow to cool. Mix together remaining icing sugar and lemon juice; drizzle over biscuits. Makes about 20