When you want a savory, filled bread without taking the time to prepare a yeasted dough, this is your go-to, no fuss recipe! Ciambella salata is a delicious savory ring cake filled with rapini, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese. Just stir all ingredients together, pour into a cake pan and bake.
Everyone loves a good cake, or ciambella! But have you ever heard of a savory cake? I've long admired Italian recipes for savory ring cakes made with a variety of vegetables; cheeses and/or meats.
I created a vegetarian version of a ciambella salata filled with garlicky sautéed rapini; black olives; sun-dried tomatoes and both grated Parmigiano cheese and scamorza cheese. The flavors and textures are beautifully balanced to create this irresistible savory cake!
Jump to:
Here's what we love about this ciambella salata!
- Aside from a bit of prepping for the rapini (blanch and sauté with garlic), all the ingredients are stirred together in one bowl. Just pour into your ring pan, bake and enjoy!
- You may use either a ring cake pan or bundt pan for this recipe.
- Enjoy all the flavors of a bread-like dish without preparing a yeasted dough.
- This recipe is incredibly versatile. You can add a variety of ingredients of your choice. See further below for a few options.
- It makes for a lovely presentation. Serve it at your next brunch gathering; as antipasto or take along to a pot luck or picnic. It will be sure to impress!
Savory Ring Cake Ingredient List
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I used oil packed
- Black olives: I used dry salt cured black olives
- Grated cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano
Substitutions
This recipe is incredibly versatile. Have fun experimenting with some of these options!
- For the rapini: use greens of your choice such as spinach, swiss chard or escarole.
- For the scamorza cheese: use any variety of cheese that melts well such as mozzarella; caciocavallo; friulano or fontina.
- Vegetable suggestions: add sautéed vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, broccoli or asparagus.
- For a non-vegetarian option: Add cubed cold cuts such as prosciutto cotto or mortadella, or cooked crumbled sausage without the casing.
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
How to make Savory Ring Cake (ciambella salata)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and generously grease a bundt pan (or ring cake pan) with olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim off the ends of the rapini, rinse well and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well.
- Cut the rapini into bite sized pieces. (I used a pair of kitchen scissors). Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add the rapini, salt (to taste) and sauté until the rapini is fairly dry. Set aside to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the cheese into cubes; roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes and black olives (pitted).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs; oil and milk until pale and frothy.
- Whisk in the grated Parmigiano cheese and salt.
- Switch to a spatula and stir in the flour and baking powder until there are no traces of flour left.
- Stir in the rapini; scamorza; sundried tomatoes and olives until evenly distributed in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Invert the ciambella onto the wire rack to continue cooling for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
- Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Use any variety of cheese that melts well such as mozzarella, caciocavallo, friulano or fontina.
Instead of rapini try using spinach, swiss chard, or escarole.
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in your oven before serving.
Wrap the whole cake or individual portions in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month and defrost in the refrigerator.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how much you enjoyed it in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Savory Ring Cake (ciambella salata)
Equipment
- 1 bundt pan or ring cake pan
Ingredients
- ½ bunch rapini *see Note
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for greasing the pan
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅔ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano cheese
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup scamorza cheese cubed. *see Note
- ⅓ cup pitted black olives, chopped about 16 olives. *see Note
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped about 4-6 pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and generously grease a bundt pan or ring cake pan with olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim off the ends of the rapini, rinse and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well.
- Cut the rapini into bite sized pieces. I used a pair of kitchen scissors.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add the rapini, salt (to taste) and sauté until the rapini is fairly dry. Set aside to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the scamorza cheese into cubes; roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes and black olives (pitted).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs; oil and milk until pale and frothy.
- Whisk in the grated Parmigiano cheese and salt.
- Switch to a spatula and stir in the flour and baking powder until there are no traces of flour left.
- Stir in the rapini; scamorza; sundried tomatoes and olives until evenly distributed in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Invert the ciambella onto the wire rack to continue cooling for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
- Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Leave a Reply