The Ciambella Tea Cake is an Italian staple food. Most Italians don’t like to linger over breakfast.

Instead, breakfast is a quick affair often enjoyed outside of the home. Many Italians enjoy a circular cake with a cup of hot steaming coffee early in the morning as brunch or morning tea. This is often how the Ciambella Tea Cake is enjoyed in Italy.

The History of Ciambella Teacake
The Ciambella Tea Cake has its origins in the Marche region of Italy. From there, it has travelled to the rest of Italy.

The Marche region of Italy is famous for its small citadel hilltop towns often referred to as “borghis.” Visiting this region of Italy can only be compared to stepping back in time.

Morro d’Alba is the perfect place to visit if you want to experience a citadel mediaeval town. It is famous for its winding streets with houses on either side and small family bakeries - this is the place to find Ciambella Tea Cake for breakfast.

Small villages like Morro d’Alba are where you find moms and busy housewives scurrying around and heading for the bakery first thing in the morning. Buying fresh bread and Ciambella teacakes is a must in many traditional towns and villages in Italy.

Life starts early and fresh pastries and bread are always available.

The First Ciambella Teacake
No one has ever been able to put their finger on the first Ciambella Teacake recipe. Just like so many other Italian cakes, breads and pastries, it has been around for a long time.

Many regions in Italy have a tradition of teacakes and similar breads. What makes the Ciambella Teacake unique is the addition of chocolate and limone (lemon.)

In other parts of Italy, you will come across similar teacakes with different toppings or ingredients including cinnamon.

There are also savoury varieties of teacakes in Italy. You can enjoy teacakes flavoured with cheese, garlic and tomatoes often served with a generous amount of olive oil.

Who Eats Ciambella Teacake?
Italian schoolchildren love their teacakes. You often see them rushing off to school with a piece of bread or a teacake in their hands.

In Italy, eating teacake for breakfast is the same thing as eating toast. As a matter of fact, many Italians like to toast their teacakes and eat them warm.

The Ciambella teacake is a popular snack. Although traditionally enjoyed from first thing in the morning to noon, some Italians like to snack on a teacake after lunch as well.

The emphasis is always on freshness. The Italians love their freshly made breads, cakes and pastries.

When Do Italian Eat Ciambella Teacake?
Although Ciambella teacakes are eaten daily, they are also popular cakes for special occasions.

Ciambella teacakes often pop up at wedding day breakfasts and other occasions when extended family and friends meet up.

In Italy, you can pre-order Ciambella teacakes and pick them up from your local bakery. They are often packed in a large flat box. Traditionally, an order consists of a variety of flavours including lemon and chocolate.

Cakes are regularly enjoyed after Sunday church service. It is the norm for families to gather outside the church once the service is over and enjoy something to eat and drink.
In the Marche region of Italy, the local Verdicchio wine and perhaps a Ciambella teacake are regularly served up by the church after Sunday service.

The Blessing Of The Animals
The Blessing of the Animals is one of the most popular Catholic traditions.

In many Catholic enclaves around the world, it is known as the Fiest Day of St. Francis of Assisi.

Local residents bring their pets and farm animals to the Church for a blessing by the priest. Each animal is made to wait patiently in turn for a splash or two of holy water.

Often thousands of owners turn up with their pets and farm animals.
Once an animal has been blessed, the owner is handed a teacake. In Italy, this is always a cake in the style of the Ciambella teacake.

The cake is made with lemon or topped with sliced almonds. But, there is no doubt about - this is very much a Ciambella teacake.

Where Does the Ciambella Teacake Get Its Name From?
The name comes from the Italian word ciambella which means doughnut or sweet doughnut.

The word has been part of the Italian language for many hundreds if not thousands of years. It is possible the Ciambella Teacake has been around for the same length of time.

Can I Make My Own Ciambella Teacake?
Although baking a basic Ciambella teacake is not difficult, it is a matter of getting the flavour right.

Too much lemon or chocolate spoils the cake. In Italy, the cake is often baked in traditionally wood-fired ovens.
Sometimes, in Italy, larger Ciambella cakes are baked. They are called Ciambella Familiares. Larger cakes are filled with anything from ricotta cheese to frangipani cream.

The Final Slice
Ciambella teacakes are perfect for family celebrations. If you are having a family picnic or outing, this is a great sweet treat to bring. It is a no-fuss cake and treat. Simply let your guests and visitors help themselves to this delicious, great-tasting Italian traditional cake. Next day delivery is available for Brunetti cakes including Ciambella Tea Cake.