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Torta Fioretto della Valchiavenna sliced on a wooden board, showing a speckled buckwheat crumb dusted with powdered sugar.

Torta Fioretto della Valchiavenna: Alpine Buckwheat Cake

A rustic Alpine cake made with fioretto buckwheat flour, butter, and lemon zest, baked until pale gold with a faintly sandy crumb.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 42 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 17 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian (Northern Italy)
Calories: 375
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g fioretto (fine buckwheat flour) sifted
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 8 g baking powder about 2 tsp
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 150 g unsalted butter softened
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs large; room temperature
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest from 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 80 ml whole milk room temperature
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 170 C / 340 F. Butter a 22 cm / 9-inch springform pan and line the base with parchment.
  2. Whisk together the fioretto, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until visibly pale and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest.
  5. Fold in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the milk, mixing just until combined. The batter will be thick and speckled with buckwheat.
  6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
  7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, checking with a skewer at 38 minutes since buckwheat batter can look done on top while the center is still wet. It's ready when the skewer comes out clean and the top is golden brown and slightly cracked.
  8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release the springform and transfer the cake to a rack to cool completely.
  9. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing.

Notes

  • Use room temperature eggs and butter for an even batter.
  • Don't overmix once the flour goes in, or the crumb turns tough.
  • Fresh baking powder is critical, buckwheat flour doesn't rise on its own.
  • Line the pan base with parchment, buckwheat batter sticks more than wheat batter.