Specialities from Campania

The kneading technique and the rising times are two key secrets of this renowned dessert. It's left to rise for a long time in a cone-shaped mould, then baked in a hot oven. It takes on an amber colour and a characteristic mushroom shape. Once baked, it is removed and allowed to "dry" for at least a day to lose most of its moisture. Subsequently, it is placed partially immersed in large containers filled with hot liquid of choice: sugar syrup, rum, or other liqueurs such as limoncello. Finally, it is gently drained of excess liquid and sent to authorized retailers. Some pastry shops coat its surface with an apricot glaze, making it shinier and more appealing.
 

The pastiera is a shortcrust pastry cake filled with a mixture of ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, and wheat boiled in milk, topped with 7 strips of the same shortcrust pastry intertwined in a cross of Saint Andrew. The pastry is crispy while the filling is soft. It has a very intense golden yellow colour. The fragrance and flavour vary depending on the spices and aromas used during preparation.

The Zeppole di San Giuseppe, like many desserts in the Neapolitan tradition, are built on a fine contrast of flavours. A shell of fried choux pastry, with a neutral taste, encases a dense, very sweet and fragrant custard cream, on top of which rests a sour note from a sour cherry or a cherry in spirits.

The Delizia al limone is a dessert originating from the Sorrento pastry tradition, later becoming a typical dessert of Neapolitan cuisine. It was created by the Sorrento pastry chef Carmine Marzuillo in 1978[2], and it is a cake made with a sponge cake base soaked in a limoncello syrup, filled and covered with lemon cream.

It is sold in pastry shops both as a cake and in single-serving versions. The single-serving often takes the form of a bosom (for example, in Procida): it is made in semi-spherical cups; once overturned and covered with lemon cream, it is decorated with a wild strawberry placed on top.