Dolce di Pasqua

Making a large leavened product with extra virgin olive oil is both a technical and aromatic challenge. Live sourdough, with its intense and complex aromas, develops an olfactory structure that requires balance and precision. The final result highlights a surprising harmony between the aromas of fermentation and citrus aftertastes, accompanied by delicate almond notes typical of Vargnano. Made from Nostrana olives, selected and cold-pressed in the in-house mill, Vargnano is an intense green, fruity oil with elegant vegetal and balsamic notes. Its very slight pungency contributes to the definition of the flavour profile without creating contrasts.
The central element of the project is the Italian origin of the raw materials. All the ingredients, with the exception of Madagascan vanilla, are strictly local. The flour comes from the Parma area, while the extra virgin olive oil, which makes up 14% of the recipe, comes from Agrivar's olive groves, consolidating the link between agricultural production and fine pastry-making.
The dough, which has a naturally moister consistency than traditional colomba cakes, reveals one of the distinctive features of using extra virgin olive oil: a soft, persistent texture that is particularly pleasing to the palate. The aromatic structure is enriched with cubes of Calabrian candied orange and a lemon and orange paste, which restores the typical aroma of great leavened products and recalls the Mediterranean origins of the recipe.
The glaze also reflects the same philosophy: Apulian almonds, cornflour and a touch of cocoa create a fragrant coating that is visually compact and balanced in sweetness. The addition of a minimal amount of trehalose helps to modulate the flavour profile with a lower glycaemic impact, creating an elegant, inviting and naturally crack-resistant glaze.
Palazzo di Varignana's Easter cake is part of a contemporary vision of tradition, where lightness, sensory research and innovation coexist. It is a creation that also invites unexpected interpretations: served lightly toasted, it can be accompanied by blue cheeses such as gorgonzola, transforming the Easter leavened cake into a surprising gourmet appetiser.

An internationally renowned master pastry chef, he was born in Brussels, where he graduated as a Mâitre Pâtissier Chocolatier Confiseur Glacier and trained in the most prestigious laboratories in the Belgian capital. Of Venetian origin, he combines Nordic precision with Italian artisan elegance, transforming pastry-making into an art form based on harmony, technique and beauty. In 1997, he won the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, establishing himself among the great masters of the sector. He founded his pastry shop in Padua and developed the Biasetto Method, based on rationality, creativity and emotion. Author of numerous publications, he continues to promote a culture of taste based on the quality of raw materials and artisan excellence.