Rame Napoli Sicilian Chocolate Cakes Reicpe

Rame di Napoli

"They're not From Naples, but Catania, Sicily" 

The Rame di Napoli are delicious cocoa biscuits covered with a dark chocolate glaze . Typical of Sicilian pastry, especially in the city of Catania, the copper from Naples is prepared with a dough based on flour, sugar, butter and bitter cocoa, the desserts are then glazed with chocolate and covered with pistachio grains.

The original recipe involves adding orange jam inside the dough I added it before moving on to the chocolate coating, but there is also a variant that provides a layer of Nutella. These sweets are traditionally prepared in Sicily for the feast of All Saints and given to good children as a gift from deceased relatives.

I know, you are wondering why they are typical sweets of Catania if they are called "di Napoli"! There is no sure information on the origin of the name, but reading on the internet I found three hypotheses to explain the question: the first is that the inventor of the recipe was a pastry chef from Naples; the second says it was a tribute from Sicily to the city of Naples (during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies); finally the third hypothesis, which seems to be the most popular, maintains that the copper of Naples was created after the introduction of a new coin, forged precisely in copper, introduced with the union of the kingdom of Naples and that of Sicily. The people of Catania therefore thought of creating a cake that would reproduce this coin in honor of the new kingdom.

In any case, whether it's a pastry chef, a tribute or a coin, not giving in to the temptation to eat the copper of Naples is really impossible! Happy Monday to those who pass by here: 

Ingredients :

2 cups flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 stick Butter
1/2 cup Cocoa powder 
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons of ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves

For the icing :

8 ounces Dark Chocolate
1/2 stick butter
Orange Marmelade or Hazelnut spread
Ground or chopped Pistachio 

Preheat the oven at 180°. Melt the butter with milk and honey in a sauce pan on a medium heat. In a large bowl sieve the flour together with the cocoa powder, ammonia, cinnamon and the grounded cloves. Add the sugar and mix all well. Pour the mix of milk into the bowl and stir until you have a smooth mixture (as shown in the pic above).

On an oven tray place a sheet of baking paper and transfer the mixture in small quantities (around 2 or 3 full tablespoons each) paying attention in keeping them distant one another. 

As soon as the oven has reached the right temperature bake your cookies for 15 minutes. Don’t worry if while they are in the oven there will be an unpleasant smell, it’s the ammonia, and it will completely disappear once the cookies are cooked and ready. Take them out and let them cool down. 

In the meantime prepare the frosting by melting the dark chocolate and the butter together. Spread either a veil of orange marmalade or the hazelnut spread, and then, once the frosting is ready use it to cover the cookies. 

Leave them few minutes to set and then finish the decoration by sparkling the pistachio on top. 

RAME di NAPOLI

CATANIA

Traditionally served on All SAINTS DAY

November 1 & 2

Now made all year round in Catania, Sicily

RECIPES From MY SICILIAN NONNA

AMAZON.com 

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