The first name of the Zuccotto seems to have been “Elmo di Caterina” (Catherine helm). In the mid-1500s it was a typical Florentine dessert with sponge cake soaked in Alkermes liqueur and a filling of ricotta and candied fruit. It was usually kept in the iceboxes built in the Medici gardens by the architect Buontalenti.
In the 1980s it was the typical summer parfait that accompanied many summers of my childhood.
It’s a somewhat elaborate dessert that takes time, but if you have a large freezer, you can do this only once and enjoy the result throughout the summer!

Parfait with vanilla and raspberries: the Italian Zuccotto

  • Preparation time: 90 minutes
  • Ingredients for two 20 cm Zuccotti
  • Difficulty: Difficult recipe

  • Ingredients
  • For the biscuit dough:
  • 6 eggs
  • 6 oz (180 grams) of all-purpose flour
  • 5 oz (150 grams) of sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of raspberry jam
  • For the Italian meringue for parfait:
  • 8 oz (220 grams) of sugar
  • 2 ½ oz (60 grams) of water
  • 4 ½ oz (130 grams) of egg whites
  • 1 ½ oz (40 grams) of dextrose
  • For the custard:
  • 7 oz (200 grams) of whole milk
  • 2 ½ oz (60 grams) of sugar
  • ½ vanilla pod
  • 1 ½ oz (40 grams) of egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon of corn starch
  • For the vanilla parfait base:
  • 4 ¾ oz (140 grams) of Italian meringue
  • 5 oz (150 grams) of custard
  • 9 oz (250 grams) of semi-whipped cream
  • For the raspberry parfait base:
  • 4 ½ oz (125 grams) of raspberry pulp
  • 5 oz (150 grams) of Italian meringue
  • 7 oz (200 grams) of semi-whipped cream
  • For the syrup:
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of Strega liqueur
  1. Instructions
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  3. To make the biscuit, beat the egg whites in a bowl and add the sugar until you get a nice meringue that makes a “goose beak.” Incorporate the egg yolks one at a time.
    Add the sifted flour, stirring gently with a spatula with a bottom-up movement so as to not disassemble the mixture.
  4. Line a 40×30 cm baking tray and a 20 cm round baking tray with baking paper. Pour 2/3 of the mixture into the rectangular pan and the remaining mixture into the round pan, leveling it well with a spatula.
  5. Bake the rectangular pan for eight to ten minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, use a damp kitchen towel to flip it while it is still warm, and roll it.
  6. Bake the round cake for twenty to twenty-five minutes.
  7. Unroll the cake out of the kitchen towel, spread the raspberry jam, and roll it up again. As soon as it is completely cold, cut it into 1 cm-thick slices.
  8. Cut the round cake in half.
  9. Prepare the syrup. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and the water. Bring it to a boil and then, when the syrup is cold, add the liqueur.
  10. Prepare the custard. Boil the milk with the seeds of the vanilla bean. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and the corn starch. Add the boiling milk, then cook over moderate heat until the custard thickens, stirring constantly. Put the custard to cool in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.
  11. Prepare the Italian meringue. In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. When the temperature of the syrup has reached 239° F, you can start to whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer, combining the dextrose with the egg whites.
  12. As soon as the syrup in the pan reaches 248° F, pour it on the egg whites. Whip it until the meringue is cooled.
  13. When the custard is cold, add the Italian meringue and the semi-whipped cream in three stages.
    Blend the raspberries and purée the pulp. Add the Italian meringue to the pulp in three stages and then at the end the semi-whipped cream in three stages.
  14. Take the parfait containers. Put some plastic wrap on it so the cake doesn’t stick to the walls.
    Coat the walls of the boules with the biscuit dough rolls. Wet them lightly with the Strega syrup.
  15. Pour the vanilla parfait and press it well on the walls of the boule. Place in the freezer for at least twenty minutes.
  16. Take the boules out of the freezer, then use a spoon to spread the vanilla parfait well on the walls. Pour the raspberry parfait into the center, then place in the freezer for another twenty minutes.
  17. Take it out and pour more vanilla parfait up to the edge of the boule. Complete with half of the round cake dipped in Strega syrup (one half for one boule, the other half for the second boule), cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for at least twelve hours.
  18. Take the boule out of the freezer, then leave it in the refrigerator for at least twenty minutes before turning it over on a serving plate.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • When you make Italian meringue, I recommend you do not pour the boiling syrup directly on the electric beaters because it immediately congeals.
  • Tightly cover the top of the custard with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from developing
  • While the Zuccotto is cooling down in the freezer between one layer and another, it is best to keep the remaining vanilla parfait and the raspberry parfait in the fridge.
  • The parfait should be served when it is about -10°. It should then be left to defrost in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes before serving. Once served, everything must be consumed because it cannot be refrozen in the freezer. This is why I prefer a 20cm boule, which is perfect for 4-6 servings.