Do you want a slice of paradise in your kitchen? Follow this paradise cake recipe for a traditional paradise cake known as the Italian Torta Cake or simply, Torta Paradiso. This recipe, a classic of Italian desserts, will take you on a gastronomic journey to Italy, surprising you with its lightness and fluffiness, akin to a chiffon cake, but unique in taste.
Imagine a piece of heaven, a luscious, buttery Paradiso cake that you can make at home using simple ingredients. The magic begins with egg yolks, vanilla sugar, starch baking powder, and flour.
With a tablespoon in one hand and a spatula in the other, follow this cake recipe to make torta paradiso that is as authentic as a pastry chef’s creation.
While a stand mixer helps combine the ingredients into a smooth cake batter, the paddle attachment ensures everything is well mixed. You’ll pour the batter into a cake tin lined with parchment paper before baking.
This cake is perfect, fluffy, and light, similar to an angel food cake but uniquely Italian.
If you like Italian cakes and orange flavor, I highly recommend trying the Traditional Sicilian Orange Cake.
This heavenly Paradiso sponge cake brings a bright, citrusy twist that’ll make your heart sing. But the wonder of this cake doesn’t just stop there, the real magic is in tasting this traditional cake.
This Italian recipe, an authentic recipe for a light sponge cake, is an explosion of sweet and soft flavors that melt on your tongue like cotton candy.
You might ask, “What’s the best way to serve this?” Well, remove the cake from the oven, invert the cake onto a cake stand, and let it cool.
Then, you can cut the cake in half and feel free to fill it with whipped cream or condensed milk for added richness.
Sure, there are variations to this recipe, but today, we’re focusing on the Italian Paradise Sponge Cake, also known as the Torta del Paradiso, without any cream. A heaven cake that is lighter, yet decadent.
So, why hesitate? Grab your whisk and beat the butter, it’s time to surprise your friends and loved ones with this moist paradise cake, your very own slice of paradise.
The center of the cake is moist and fluffy, giving you a taste of Italian gastronomy right in your kitchen.
Don’t repeat my mistakes and put this recipe for Torta on the back burner! You’ll regret not making it sooner.
Even the sight of this heavenly cake makes your mouth water, how can you not want to try it? Such Italian work of art is a truly heavenly pleasure.
The best part? It’s so simple and quick that you can make it yourself in just under one hour.
Are you still hesitant to start making this cake? Do not repeat my mistakes, and do not put this recipe on the back burner! The only thing I regret about this recipe is that I didn’t prepare this cake earlier!
So, let’s surprise your friends and your loved ones with this moist paradise cake.
What ingredients do you need for that?
- Butter. ¾ cup (170 grams). Is one of the most important ingredients for the perfect result for the Paradise cake. Make sure that the butter has room temperature. By using butter, you will get a more intense taste.
- Powdered Sugar. 1 1⁄3 cup (170 grams).
- Vanilla Sugar. ⅓ cup (40 grams).
- Salt. ½ tsp (2.5 grams) or to taste.
- Starch. ½ cup (70 grams). By using starch in combination with flour, you will get a fluffier cake. Check our recent article to find the best starch alternatives.
- Baking Powder. 3 grams.
- All-Purpose Flour. ⅔ cup (100 grams).
- Eggs (4 pieces). I found multiple recipes starting from 2 eggs and going wild to 8-10 eggs. For me, the best spot is somewhere between. I’m always using 4 eggs for this recipe and it never disappointed me.
- Additional aromas. I decided to pick the orange and lemon zest. This will give you an interesting fine taste of citrus that will make your cake more special.
👩🍳 Step-by-step Directions
Quick Tip: Before you start the recipe, put all the ingredients on the table 2 hours ahead. This will make ingredients reach room temperature. Because of that, they will not separate from each other when you will mix all of them together.
Let’s begin.
Put the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of the mixer, or in the bowl in which you will mix the ingredients by hand. Also at this stage, you can add the flavors you prefer. I added vanilla sugar, orange, and lemon zest.
Mix well all these ingredients.
When the composition becomes quite thick and uniform, start adding the eggs one by one and mix continuously.
After the eggs are incorporated well, add flour, starch, baking powder, and salt into the bowl.
Mix well until you get a uniform mixture.
After that, get ready the baking tray. Cover the bottom of the tray with baking paper and grease the baking tray with butter (both: bottom and walls).
Next, pour the previously obtained composition into the baking pan.
Quick Note: I used a 9-Inch Springform Cake Pan. If you will use the same amount of ingredients but your cake pan is smaller or bigger, the height of the cake will differ and because of that, you should also adjust the baking time. To be safe, just use a toothpick to test from time to time if your cake is baked enough.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cake for about 40 minutes. It’s important to not open the oven until a solid surface will be formed.
Quick Note: Baking time may differ from oven to oven because not all of them are working in the same way. The cake may be ready in 35 to 45 minutes. A good hint will be to test your cake with a toothpick to understand when it is done.
In the end, after the cake has cooled down, you can decorate it with a little powdered sugar. If you will powder over the hot cake, the sugar will melt.
Quick Tip: You can serve it next to a sour jam to get a pleasant contrast between sweet and sour tastes.
Tips to make the best Paradise Cake:
- A slight change that I made from the original recipe is that in the genuine recipe, isn’t used baking powder. I added a little bit of it to stabilize the rising of the dough.
- For the best results, make sure that all ingredients are at the same temperature.
- Don’t open the oven door during baking time.
Answering Your Questions:
What is Torta Paradiso?
Torta Paradiso, also known as Paradise Cake, is an Italian sponge cake that is light, airy, and delicately flavored. It typically consists of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and sometimes potato starch or cornstarch. The cake is often dusted with powdered sugar or served with a layer of whipped cream and fruit.
How to Keep for Longer the Paradise Cake?
If you have a few slices left over, then you can cover the cake with a cling film or other alternatives and keep it for another 1-2 days.
What Is the Ideal Texture of Torta Paradiso?
The ideal texture of Torta Paradiso is light and fluffy, with a delicate crumb. This is achieved by using the right combination of ingredients and by carefully folding in the whipped egg whites to maintain the airiness of the batter.
How Do I Store Torta Paradiso?
To store Torta Paradiso, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to a week, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving to enjoy its optimal texture and flavor.
Recipe Card:
Traditional Recipe of Torta Paradiso / Italian Paradise Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter
- 1 ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- ⅓ cup Vanilla Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ½ cup Starch
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅔ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Egg Large
- Orange Zest Optionally
- Lemon Zest Optionally
Instructions
- Put the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of the mixer, or in the bowl in which you will mix the ingredients by hand.¾ cup Butter, 1 ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- Add the extra flavors you prefer like vanilla sugar, orange, and lemon zest. Mix well all these ingredients.⅓ cup Vanilla Sugar, Orange Zest, Lemon Zest
- When the composition becomes quite thick and uniform, start adding the eggs one by one and mix continuously.4 Egg
- After the eggs incorporated well, add flour, starch, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Mix them well until you get a uniform mixture.½ teaspoon Salt, ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder, ⅔ cup All-Purpose Flour, ½ cup Starch
- Prepare the baking tray. Cover the bottom of the tray with baking paper and grease the baking tray with butter (both: bottom and walls).¾ cup Butter
- Pour the previously obtained composition into the baking form.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cake for about 40 minutes. It's important to not open the oven until a solid surface will be formed.
- In the end, after the cake has cooled down, pour the cake with a little powdered sugar.
Quick Note
I highly recommend reading the entire recipe to find more tips and notes about this recipe. Read Full Recipe ⇑
Notes
- Before you start the recipe, put all the ingredients on the table 2 hours ahead. This will make ingredients reach room temperature. Because of that, they will not separate from each other when you will mix all of them together.
- Baking time may differ from oven to oven because not all of them are working in the same way. The cake may be ready in 35 to 45 minutes. A good hint will be to test your cake with a toothpick to understand when it is done.
- You can serve it next to a sour jam to get a pleasant contrast between sweet and sour tastes.
Biana
Looks amazing! I love all the flavors in it, vanilla and citrus zest.
Claudia
This looks fantastic and so flavorful the color is awesome!
Jacqueline Meldrum
That looks heavenly. I may have said wow out loud when I got to the shot where you’d cut a slice. What a gorgeous colour!
Beth
Wow! This was such a great cake! My family absolutely loved it for my daughter’s boyfriend’s birthday! So delicious and yummy! Definitely going to make this again!
Anjali
I hadn’t heard of this cake before but now I can’t wait to try it!! It looks like it would be perfect with my afternoon coffee! 🙂
Jouie
What a moist, rich, wonderful cake! I made this for a co-worker who was getting married. I didn’t try it, but everyone just RAVED about this cake.
Holly
Very good! This was the first made from scratch cake I ever made and it was awesome!
Azarri
This is my SECOND review. Have made this cake somewhere around 7-8 times now. All in the past couple of months. WONDERFUL cake.
Savita
This looks delicious and so flavorful the color is awesome!
Natalie
What a beautiful cake. Simple but looks delicious. The texture is amazing and I love the simplicity. I will definitely make this cake this summer.
Katherine
This cake looks so simple, but so delicious! Such a great texture.
Alejandra
Wow this looks like the best breakfast cake to go with coffee! I can just tell from the pictures this will taste sooooo good!!!
Sandra
What size pan is used for this cake?! I read the recipe a few times thinking I had to have missed it but none is given.
Victoria
Thank you Sara for pointing to it. For some reason, I totally forgot to mention it. I used a 9-Inch Springform Cake Pan but you can also use 8″ for this recipe. If you will go with the same amount of ingredients and a smaller cake pan, you will need also to increase a little the baking time because the dough will be higher and it will need some more time to bake.
Just use a toothpick to make sure that the cake is baked enough and please let me know how it turned!
Victoria.
Abigail
This was a very good torta. Taste was spot on (I only did lemon zest) but the texture was a bit off for a torta de paradiso. It was missing the wonderful textured crust I’m use to. Growing up, I had a neighbor who made this and other wonderful Italian pastries. Torta de Paradiso was one of my favorites. I remember hers having an almost crunchy surface tho. It was a delightful part of the cake I wasn’t able to achieve with this recipe but perhaps my preparation methods, oven, or baking time might be to blame. Thanks for helping me rediscover a tasty part of my childhood :-).
Victoria
I am glad that I was able to bring back the taste of your childhood. I am also in love with this paradise cake and because of that, I decided to share this recipe that I learned from a friend of mine in Italy.
If you decide to cook this cake again and you want to get the texture as you remember from your childhood, I suggest you try to adjust the temperature and baking time a bit (lower the baking temperature to 325F, and adjust the baking time individually) because the crust that we obtain in the final depends on these two factors. As each oven works differently, it is very difficult to give an exact baking time.
Thank you for your feedback!
Sophia
I recently made the Torta Paradiso using this recipe, and it was a true crowd-pleaser! The cake turned out incredibly light, moist, and flavorful. The addition of lemon zest added a refreshing twist. It was a hit at my family gathering, and I received numerous compliments. A definite must-try!
Bianca
This Torta Paradiso recipe is pure bliss! The cake is moist, fluffy, and has a delightful aroma of vanilla. The dusting of powdered sugar adds an elegant touch. It’s a simple yet heavenly dessert that will transport you to a state of culinary paradise!
Giulia
This Torta Paradiso recipe is an absolute delight! The cake is incredibly light, fluffy, and full of vanilla flavor. The texture is heavenly, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee. A true slice of paradise!