Pilgrim Cake

Pilgrim Cake: Torta Coi Bischeri In Pisa Italy, All You Need To Know

Do you want to learn about the pilgrim cake (Torta co ‘bischeri)? Then you are in the right place. Want to enjoy the pastry pie with white rice, dark chocolate, pinenuts, candied fruit, raisins, and spices? There is a lot to learn about this cake. So, get ready. Get our free Travel Checklist

When you hear the name ‘Pisa,’ I bet one thing that ripples through your mind is Piazza Del Miracoli! Over the years, the Piazza Del Miracoli has been one of the reasons tourists all over the world flock to Pisa, so they could pin their eyes on and marvel at the man-made wonder in the city.

Pisa is a great place to visit in Italy

Pisa is one of Italy’s most visited spots because of its beauty. Overall, Pisa is recognized mainly for its remarkable architecture. The Cathedral, Baptistry, leaning tower, and other impeccable buildings give the city the name ‘Beauty Jewels.’

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Hence, when you hear about Pisa, what should spiral your mind is its nickname.

Aside from its outstanding architecture, there are lots of reveling places and sceneries you definitely can’t miss.

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The local dishes in Pisa are another wonderful thing to indulge in, so if you hunger to embark on a gastronomy tour in Pisa, you made the right choice.

This article spotlights a special holiday dessert called the Pilgrim cake (torta coi bischeri) in Italian. Wonder what’s special about this Pilgrim cake? Read on and find out.

When I heard there was a special cake in Pisa made with rice and dark chocolate, I started dribbling, and when I saw the picture, I knew right there and then this cake was going to be tasteful.

Everything about the cake, from its toppings, ingredients, and shape, will stir your taste buds. Having taken an interest in this mouthwatering dessert, I endeavored to grab a bite, researched it, and then understood why it’s called a pilgrim cake.

Learn more about the name (torta coi bischeri)

First, let’s break down its Italian name – torta coi bischeri. If you know the Italian language to some extent, you’d know that the word ‘bischeri’ is used to refer to someone dumb, not brilliant, and easily outsmarted in the Tuscany region, but you might be wondering how these words relate to the cake?

Well, these words have nothing to do with the cake; rather, the ‘bischeri’ here refers to all the outer layers of the cake.

Where the cake came from in Pisa

This torta coi bischeri originated from the town of Pontasserchio and San Giuliano Terme in the province of Pisa. Apart from the rice and chocolate typical of the cake, it’s also enriched with raisins, pinenuts, candied fruit, and other necessary spices.

This cake was introduced in the sixteenth century by the two towns, and it’s usually made during special religious occasions, particularly the Ascension and the feast of SS crucifix of miracle that holds on every 28th of April. During those early years of its introduction, the cake was made as a way to receive Pilgrims via Francigena to the local towns, hence the name ‘Pilgrim cake.’

As time dragged by, the cake gained popularity all over Italy as every tourist in this city hungered to snack on it. However, due to its increasing popularity, the cake secured a brand with some outstanding specifications that follow its Italian origin, one of which is the use of the local pine nuts gotten from the Migliarino Regional Park.

Since the cake became very popular in Pisa, the locals started learning the recipe. Now, many people can bake this special cake at home during holiday or whenever they feel fit. If you want to grab a bite of the cake when it’s not a festive period, no worries!

Most pastry shops in the city now bake and deliver the cakes to customers on demand, and there are certain places where you would get the one with the right fillings that give the original taste of the cake.

If you want to bake the cake at home, for those who love home-cooked meals and dessert, then you will spend over three hours and thirty-five minutes to get this done.

Prepping the ingredients and other necessary things for the cake will take at most three hours, but if you are fast enough or have a helping hand, it will take lesser time. Then the cooking time will take at most thirty-five minutes.

Hence when aiming to make one yourself, you’ve got to be ready to spend hours in prepping and cooking the cake.

There’s this bundle of joy you’ll feel when you’re the one baking one for yourself. So if you want to try out a new recipe, then you can try this.

Here’s a rundown of its ingredients.

For the outer layer or pastry section (bischeri)

  • two cups of all-purpose flour.
  • one or two eggs.
  • seven teaspoons of butter and
  • slight sprinkle of salt.

For The Cake’s Fillings;

  • 100 gram of rice good for pudding or original varieties.
  • 150 grams of dark chocolate.
  • 1/2 cup of sugar,
  • Two spoonful’s of Vinsanto.
  • 50 grams of candied fruit
  • Cinnamon,
  • 50 grams of pine nuts
  • 1/3 cups of raisins.
  • seeds from a vanilla pod, etc.

Steps on how to prepare your ingredients together.

  1. The foremost thing to do is to mix all your pastries. Get a bowl, and add the right amount of ingredients, your eggs, butter, and salt. Turn them rigorously with your spatula, then add your flour. Once you’ve added the floor, you knead painstakingly. Once you’ve done this, cover the dough with a thin lid and put it in the fridge for some time. Roughly an hour or two.
  2. Boil your rice with a good quantity of water and, sprinkle some salt on it; leave it for twelve minutes.
  3. Once the twelve minutes drag by, drain the water from the rice and put it in a bowl with sugar, Vin Santo, chocolate, and beaten eggs. Add your raisins which you must have drained. Cut your candied fruit into fine pieces, then add and finish off with your cinnamon and vanilla seeds.
  4. Lubricate and spill some flour into your round cake tin.
  5. Get your dough out from the fridge and roll it on your round cake; leave it for some minutes.
  6. Then, fill the pastry with your mixed fillings, giving it the bischeri design. Use the remaining though to decorate them with the pastry strips to give them a diamond shape.
  7. Heat your oven around 180° C, then slither your dough inside. Leave it for about 30-35 minutes until it’s done. You’ll know it’s done when you see the shimmering golden color of the pastry.
  8. Bring it out from the oven and leave it until it’s cool before cutting it.

Conclusion on the Pilgrim Cake: Torta Coi Bischeri In Pisa Italy

Once you follow the rundown steps in baking the cake, you’ll marvel at the outcome. Torta coi bischeri is one of the best desserts to snack on in Pisa. Here’s the thing, you might see this cake elsewhere, but it definitely can’t bear that peculiar tastes you’ll get if you buy it in any pastry shop in Pisa because they’re already adept in it.

Try this out once you travel to Pisa, Italy, and you’ll be more than thankful.

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