6592 Dolci e torte

Not long ago I wanted to ask a local restaurant to prepare a chocolate sponge cake for my wife's birthday. I didn't get what I thought I ordered although it was still very nice.What should i have asked for and what is the difference between dolci and torte?

Category
Food & Drink

[url=http://blogdolci.com/?p=169]Pan di Spagna Ricetta at BlogDolci.com[/url]

Did you get one of those?

Nice picture but no.It was a kind of ice cream cake.

As far as I know, the basic Chocolate Sponge Cake is called "Pan di Spagna al Cioccolato". Should it be more elaborated with a cream filling, etc., it would be a "Torta al Cioccolato"... I don't know whether this would be of any help. Try to ask the bake what kind of cake you finally got.... Interesting....
Cheers,

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=Robert;60161]Nice picture but no.It was a kind of ice cream cake.[/QUOTE]

Maybe it was a mousse - you have to defrost them for several hours first (otherwise it`s like ice cream).:biggrin:

[quote=Robert;60161]Nice picture but no.It was a kind of ice cream cake.[/quote]

In that case it sounds like a tort but in the French sense - some kind of bavarois/mousse surrounded by sponge or choux buns or something 'cakey'

Going back to the question, dolci seems to be used as the generic word for sweet or dessert, but if you translate it it comes out 'cakie' whereas torte seems to be a cake (but not a dry cake it seems), a tart, a pie, a gateau, a tort, a gallette, a challotte

[QUOTE=The Smiths in Puglia;60179]Maybe it was a mousse - you have to defrost them for several hours first (otherwise it`s like ice cream).:biggrin:[/QUOTE]

Yes, I agree. From the description it really sounds like a chocolate mousse...

Gala Placidia

[QUOTE=liketheroman;60180]In that case it sounds like a tort but in the French sense - some kind of bavarois/mousse surrounded by sponge or choux buns or something 'cakey'

Going back to the question, dolci seems to be used as the generic word for sweet or dessert, but if you translate it it comes out 'cakie' whereas torte seems to be a cake (but not a dry cake it seems), a tart, a pie, a gateau, a tort, a gallette, a challotte[/QUOTE]

Yes, LTR, there are so many names....I used to teach "French Culinary Terminology" at an Australian College... Not an easy task.

Gala Placidia

'Dolci' is the plural of 'dolce' - so you can have a dessert 'un dolce' or lots of desserts 'dolci'.

As said before dolci are desserts - bear in mind that Italian desserts are different from British ones. If you have dinner in a restaurant they will make you a 'dolce' to follow as you wouldn't really want to eat 'torta' after dinner. They don't usually do birthday cakes like the Brits do.

A chocolately, moussey cake could be a Sant'Honoré or a semi-freddo. It might just have been the invention of the chef on the day! Can you find out what it was? - just being nosey!

Be careful, una torta isn't necessarily sweet a torta pasquale or pasqualina is savoury & can have artichokes, spinach, egg etc depending on the region. But a torta di mele, for example, is basically an apple tart, therefore sweet. Normally a savoury torta is called torta salata which helps.

This is just my experience & things may be different in different parts of Italy.

Buon appetito, Helen

[QUOTE=Helen&Francesco;60188]'Dolci' is the plural of 'dolce' - so you can have a dessert 'un dolce' or lots of desserts 'dolci'.

As said before dolci are desserts - bear in mind that Italian desserts are different from British ones. If you have dinner in a restaurant they will make you a 'dolce' to follow as you wouldn't really want to eat 'torta' after dinner. They don't usually do birthday cakes like the Brits do.

A chocolately, moussey cake could be a Sant'Honoré or a semi-freddo. It might just have been the invention of the chef on the day! Can you find out what it was? - just being nosey!

Be careful, una torta isn't necessarily sweet a torta pasquale or pasqualina is savoury & can have artichokes, spinach, egg etc depending on the region. But a torta di mele, for example, is basically an apple tart, therefore sweet. Normally a savoury torta is called torta salata which helps.

This is just my experience & things may be different in different parts of Italy.

Buon appetito, Helen[/QUOTE]

Helen, I agree that a torta isn't neessarily a sweet, very good example with the torta pasqualine, which is really delicious.
I find that in Italy the French gâteau Saint-Honoré has a different meaning. The original recipe is for a "pâte brisée" topped with a ring of cream puffs dipped in caramel. The centre is crème patissière lightened with beaten eggs or whipped cream. No chocolate involved. But basic recipes can evolve.

Gala Placidia

lets just face it the Italian food is great but they cant make cakes like the British do!

[QUOTE=Gala Placidia;60178]As far as I know, the basic Chocolate Sponge Cake is called "Pan di Spagna al Cioccolato". Should it be more elaborated with a cream filling, etc., it would be a "Torta al Cioccolato"... I don't know whether this would be of any help. Try to ask the bake what kind of cake you finally got.... Interesting....
Cheers,

Gala Placidia[/QUOTE]

Thanks for all the replies.
GP above is the one who really answers my question.
Can't possibly describe in detail the cake that we got but it doesn't matter too much as i was interested in knowing what to ask for another time.
I tend to agree with Pamela.Cakes especially sponge ones are more of a British/American thing so we do more of them than Italians I think.

[QUOTE=pamela;60250]lets just face it the Italian food is great but they cant make cakes like the British do![/QUOTE]

Very, very true. Often said it myself. But then we don't make tiramisu as well as the Italians do. My husband's recipe (he's an Italian chef) is heaven!!

Vive la différence!!!:wink:

[QUOTE=pamela;60250]lets just face it the Italian food is great but they cant make cakes like the British do![/QUOTE]

Do you really want compare your brit-pinky-blue-cakes to our traditional sienes bakery's ? You must be kidding. Scusami.:confused:

[quote=elefante;60285]Do you really want compare your brit-pinky-blue-cakes to our traditional sienes bakery's ? You must be kidding. Scusami.:confused:[/quote]

Those ever present 'bouches' look very fancy but IMO are too sweet and lack taste

You should meet Mt Kipling, Mr Eccles and Mr Bakewell

[url=http://www.pasticcerienannini.it]PASTICCERIE NANNINI dolci senesi e specialità toscane artigianali[/url]

ok, ok, but you should come to Siena and at least try Nannini's cakes.
He is the most famous baker in Siena, but there is plenty smaller baker company's wich make great things.
ciao !

[QUOTE=elefante;60301][url=http://www.pasticcerienannini.it]PASTICCERIE NANNINI dolci senesi e specialità toscane artigianali[/url]

ok, ok, but you should come to Siena and at least try Nannini's cakes.
He is the most famous baker in Siena, but there is plenty smaller baker company's wich make great things.
ciao ![/QUOTE]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was trying to remember their name. Absolutely superb! I agree with you, Siena sells fantastic cakes. And [I]panforte[/I]... just straight from Heaven.

Gala Placidia