Brown cane sugar
Golden to brown cane-sugar crystals sweeten bostrengo alongside dried fruit, cocoa and nuts. Choose ordinary crystalline cane sugar; the recipe does not require dark, moist muscovado.
- Form
- Golden or brown crystalline cane sugar.
- In bostrengo
- Weighed and mixed into the cake batter.
Measure and mix through
Weigh the sugar without packing it down. Break up any loose clumps before adding it to the bowl, then mix it evenly through the rice, bread, milk, eggs, cocoa and dried fruit. Scrape the bowl so no pocket of sugar remains at the bottom.
The sugar goes into the cake mixture. A later dusting of powdered sugar, if used for serving, is a separate finishing choice rather than part of this measured amount.
A pantry sugar for bostrengo
Cane sugar is a pantry ingredient in Italian baking, including bostrengo from the Marche. Its use in an Italian cake does not identify the crop as Italian-grown: cane-sugar ranges sold by Italian companies can come from tropical plantations. The ingredient here is crystalline brown or golden cane sugar. Color and texture differ across the category, so a dark, moist whole-cane sugar is a more specific product than the recipe requires. Keep the choice close to ordinary free-flowing crystals.
Cut the cake after baking
Serve bostrengo whole or in small squares, with the fruit and nuts distributed through each piece. The sugar is already mixed into the batter; choose any optional finishing garnish separately and keep it light enough to leave the cake’s texture apparent.
Cook with it
Look at the crystals
Look for zucchero grezzo di canna and inspect the product description or visible crystals. Choose a golden or brown crystalline sugar for this use. Do not treat the Italian brand name as evidence that the cane was grown in Italy, or assume that muscovado is required whenever a recipe says zucchero di canna.
Keep moisture out
Store the sugar tightly closed in a dry place, following the package directions. Use a clean, dry spoon and close the bag before working with the wet cake ingredients. Keep it away from splashes so the crystals remain easy to weigh and distribute.
