Writing in 1891, in his cooking manual La Scienza in Cucina e L’arte di Mangiar Bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well), Pellegrino Artusi introduces the potato as a tuber from the solanaceae (nightshade) family that was native to South America and introduced to Europe in the 16th century. He goes on to note that large-scale cultivation didn’t begin in Italy until the beginning of the 18th century, due to the “obstinacy of the masses who were averse to eating it”, adding that, little by little, the potato became more than accepted (by the poor as well as the rich), because of its good taste, ability to satisfy hunger and the way it lent itself to being cooked in so many ways.
If my counting is correct, of 790 recipes in that seminal book, 30 of them include potatoes or a significant proportion of potato flour. What is especially interesting is that even though the first recipe that includes potatoes is recipe 14 (a tasty-sounding brothy minestra with little gnocchi made from potatoes, boiled chicken, yolks and cheese), plus 14 more savoury potato recipes that Artusi waits to introduce, it isn’t until the chapter entitled Torte e dolci al Cucchiaio (Cakes and Desserts Eaten with a Spoon) that the potato is formally presented. In recipe 661, budino di patate, a soft, blancmange-style pudding that definitely requires a spoon, is made from floury potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk and lemon zest. In that same chapter, and the preceding biscuit and pastry chapter, 13 other recipes also include potatoes or potato flour: three types of biscuit, two souffles, a bake with amaretti biscuits, a shortcrust-type pastry, a sweet focaccia, another sweet bread, another budino (this time with almonds), and three cakes.
In the first of those three cakes, potato supports almonds and chocolate. In the second, potato flour thickens alongside almond flour to make a frangipane. But it is the third cake that is a full-on torta di patate (potato cake), which is prefaced by the best sort of Artusi introduction: observant, funny and anticipating anyone who might be suspicious (or contemptuous) of the cake, and also encouraging readers to try it for themselves. He certainly convinced me, not least because this cake also contains almonds, melted butter, five eggs and lots of lemon zest. I have learned from a slightly less successful (but still more than acceptable) attempt that the more floury the potatoes, the lighter the texture. I would go so far as to describe this cake as bouncy, even, satisfying in its texture, and a brilliant lesson in the potato’s farinaceous chameleon capacity. The method is very straightforward.
Artusi’s serving suggestion is to bake the cake and serve it later. My own suggestion is to leave the cake to cool completely, then cut it in half horizontally to make a lid and a base. Spread the base with three or four tablespoons of lemon curd, jam or jelly, then cover with the cake lid. Mix a tablespoon (or more, to taste) of icing sugar and the finely grated zest of another unwaxed lemon into a 250g tub of thick cream or mascarpone, then spread this thickly on top of your potato cake.
Almond and potato cake with lemon curd and mascarpone
Makes 1 cake, for 8-12
500g floury potatoes, ideally of roughly the same size
5 eggs
130g sugar
140g ground almonds
50g melted butter, plus extra for greasing
Grated zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
3-4 tbsp lemon curd, or lemon jam
250g tub mascarpone, or thick cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
Peel and quarter the potatoes, then steam or boil until tender. Either mash or pass the warm potatoes through a ricer directly into a bowl.
Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and light.
Add the egg mix to the mashed potato with the almonds, melted butter, grated zest of one lemon, baking powder and salt.
Butter and flour a 24cm cake tin (and/or line it with baking paper), then scrape the batter into the tin. Bake at 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½ for an hour, until a skewer or dry spaghetti strand inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave the cake to cool completely, then cut it in half horizontally to make a lid and a base. Spread the lemon curd on the base half , then top with the lid. For the top, you can simply dust it with icing sugar; alternatively, mix the remaining lemon zest and the icing sugar into a tub of thick mascarpone or cream and spread that thickly on the top.
