Pianono
Pianono is a cake lover’s dream come true! Soft and fluffy Filipino cake roll filled and coated with butter and sprinkling of sugar. Enjoy it with coffee or tea and even after a hearty meal as dessert!
If you’re like me who loves to bake or want to start learning, this cake recipe is for you! This is one of the recipes I started out with and perfected. It’s a cake that you can put together easily to serve for tea time or even dessert. I’ll share with you step-by-step procedures with video instructions that will bring out the baker in you!
Pianono or Pionono
Pianono (also called pionono) is a well-liked sweet pastry in Spain, Philippines, and South America. The town of Santa Fe in Spain is where the pastry originated and was named after Pope Pius IX or “Pio Nono” when translated to Spanish.
It has two parts: a thin layer of soft and fluffy cake or pastry rolled into a cylinder, filled with butter or different kinds of syrup which gives the pastry a sweet and pleasant texture. You can finish it in one or two bites.
How Filipinos do it
In the Philippines, making pianono cannot be easier. It consists of a layer of pastry made from eggs, sugar, and sifted cake flour baked in a sheet. Once it cools down, you spread margarine or softened butter and sprinkle sugar on top. Then roll the cake from one end to the other and coat it with more butter and some sugar.
You can also use jam to make it more flavorful and resembles jelly rolls. Like taisan cake and mamon, you can buy these cake rolls at local bakeries with different choices like mocha or ube flavor and is best for afternoon snacks while having a “cuppa”.
This recipe is much simpler unlike other recipes That requires making a meringue. It’s really a great starting point for those who want to learn baking. I’m warning you though, once you’re hooked to baking, you can’t stop! LOL!
Tips for best results
Eggs should be in room temperature.
When the cake is done baking, roll the cake while it’s still warm and pliable. This will avoid breaking the cake and have cracks outside.
If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own by measuring 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tbsp. and replace it with 2 tbsp. cornstarch or corn flour and sift three times.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
You may also like:
Cheese cupcakes will be your new favorites once you tried them. With toasted cheese on top and super moist cake.
Calamansi muffins that are soft and fluffy with the freshness of calamansi flavor. It’s so good on its own that you won’t need any glaze to enjoy it!
Pianono
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
For Filling an Coating
- ½ cup margarine / softened butter
- 5 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 375° F or 180° C. Prepare baking tray (preferably 33cm x 23cm size) and place parchment paper on top.
- In a mixing bowl, Crack and place whole eggs.
- Using a hand mixer/stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the eggs in slow speed until light in color.
- Add sugar in three batches and continue beating in medium speed until thick and pale.
- Sift cake flour into the mixing bowl and fold-in gently until no traces of flour is left.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking sheet making sure that it is evenly laid out.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 375° F or 180° C. You can test if it's baked by inserting a toothpick and it comes out clean. (NOTE: Bake time may vary depending on oven used)
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. When cool to touch, lay out another parchment paper on top of table and invert cake onto the paper. Gently peel the other wax paper off the top of the cake.
- Evenly spread the margarine or softened butter on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle sugar on top of the margarine or soften butter.
- Roll the cake cross-wise using the parchment paper from one end to the other end. Secure the parchment paper at the sides and chill in the fridge, seam side down, for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, take out from the fridge and remove parchment paper. Brush the cake roll with margarine or butter on all sides and sprinkle with sugar. Trim both sides to remove the uneven part of the roll.
- Cut into desired size then serve and enjoy! Bon appetit!
Hi Mia,
I tried making this but why is that when I put the wax paper on top of it to flip it over it got stuck and I had a hard time taking it out when rolling the cake. The bottom part was fine though it was easier to take out the wax paper.
Did I do something wrong?
Hi Meriam,
Usually, it should be easy and sometimes just a bit of cake will stick to the baking paper. Maybe the cake is still too hot? Try flipping the cake when it’s just warm to touch but not cold because then it’s more difficult to roll. Hope this helps.