Bianco Mangiare
Submitted by irene
Bianco Mangiare is a layered Italian dessert with sponge cake, vanilla-cinnamon milk pudding, chocolate sprinkles, pecans, and cherries. Served cold, this elegant no-bake treat is pure old-world charm.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
60 minBianco Mangiare, which translates to “white eating” in Italian, is a Sicilian classic that proves elegance doesn’t require a pastry degree.
Sliced sponge cake lines the bottom of a pan, then gets blanketed with a silky homemade pudding made from milk thickened with cornstarch and perfumed with vanilla and cinnamon.
Scatter on chocolate sprinkles and chopped pecans, add another layer of cake and pudding, then crown it all with maraschino cherries.
It chills in the fridge until firm, then gets sliced and served cold on chilled plates with a drizzle of chocolate sauce if you’re feeling fancy.
Kitchen Tips
- Stir the pudding constantly as it thickens. Cornstarch pudding goes from thin to thick in seconds and can lump or scorch if you walk away.
- Use a store-bought sponge cake or angel food cake if you don’t want to bake one from scratch. It’s just the vehicle for the pudding.
- Let the pudding cool slightly before pouring it over the cake layers so it doesn’t turn the sponge soggy.
- This needs at least 4 hours in the fridge to set properly. Overnight gives the best slicing results.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut cake into ½ in. slices. Place 1 layer in the bottom of a 9 in. cake pan. Set aside.
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Set over medium heat. Add milk gradually and cook, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
Pour half the pudding over the sliced cake. Scatter over this half the chocolate and half the pecans.
Add another layer of cake, then rest of pudding and remaining chocolate and pecans. Top with cherries. Refrigerate.
Serve cold on chilled plates with chocolate sauce, if desired.
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