Italian Rainbow Cookies are layered almond-flavored treats featuring vibrant green, white, and red sponge layers, symbolizing the Italian flag. Sandwiched with apricot and raspberry jam and topped with a thin layer of chocolate, these cookies are a festive and flavorful dessert.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Cookies
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
25
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
8 minutes
The three layers represent the Italian flag colors.
Author:Audra Reddy
Ingredients
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4 eggs, separated
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1 cup granulated sugar, separated (¼ and ¾ cups)
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1 - 7 oz roll of almond paste
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1 ½ cups butter, softened (2 ½ sticks)
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1 teaspoon almond extract
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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½ teaspoon salt
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20 drops red food coloring
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20 drops green food coloring
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¾ cup apricot jam
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¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
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1 cup chocolate wafers, melted (I used dark/milk combined)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 - 9x13 pans with parchment paper. Spray the pan with baking spray first so the parchment sticks to the pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites with whisk attachment until you reach stiff peaks. Adding a ¼ cup sugar a little bit at a time, beating on high speed until you have stiff peaks and the whites are slightly glossy. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside.
Using a fork, smash the almond paste so you have a flattened paste (otherwise your batter will contain lumps of almond paste) In a mixing bowl, using your paddle attachment, beat together almond paste and the remaining ¾ cups sugar until blended. Add butter and beat until combined and fluffy about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks and almond extract and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour and salt until just combined.
Using your beaten egg whites, slowly fold half the mixture into the batter, then fold the remaining whites gently until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Divide batter evenly, using a scale to make sure you have equal parts, into three bowls. Leave one bowl white batter, to the other bowls, add red food coloring and stir to combine, add green food coloring and stir to combine.
Using your lined 9x13 pan, spread the white batter evenly to about ¼ inch. This will take time to spread evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes in 350 degree oven. The cake may not look completely done, but use a tester to make sure it comes out clean. Don’t overbake.
Do this with the remaining red and green batter.
Once baked, remove the cakes from the pan and set on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.
Starting with the green layer, invert cake onto a clean baking sheet and remove the parchment paper. Spread the apricot jam onto this layer (it is hard to find apricot jam, so I blend the preserves to make a smooth jam before spreading).
Next layer the white layer over the apricot jam, remove parchment paper and layer this cake with raspberry jam. Layer the red cake on top of the raspberry jam. Cover tray with plastic wrap and place a baking sheet over the cake. I topped with a cutting board for extra weight and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator while you melt the chocolate.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until chocolate is melted. Stir to smooth.
Trim the edges of the assembled layers with a knife and quickly spread a thin layer of the melted chocolate over the top of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the chocolate has become firm, about 15 minutes.
With a large knife (serrated), cut the cake into rows and then cut the rows into small rectangles. I dipped my knife in hot water and then dry it off in between cutting. The warm knife easily glides through the chocolate layer. Your pieces should be about 1 ½ inches wide and then 2 inches long.
Add slices to an airtight container to store. You can also store covered in the refrigerator.
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