Football sandwich cake - recipe

The football sandwich cake is an impressive appetizer, perfect for any sports event or party! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English)
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Start with the savory brioche dough: combine the cake flour and bread flour in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the grated cheese, the sugar and the active dry yeast. Dissolve the salt in the water, crack the eggs and add a pinch of grated nutmeg. Start the mixer and add first the eggs, then the milk and lastly the salted water: salt is a yeast inhibitor. When the dough has come together, replace the paddle with the dough hook. Beat until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, then add a piece of softened butter at a time; wait for each piece of butter to be fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough is smooth and elastic: it takes about 15-20 minutes of beating. Lightly oil the work surface to prevent from sticking. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and place in the turned off oven with the light on for about half an hour. Prepare the cream cheese spreads: one flavored with basil and the other with prosciutto, so chop them both. Instead of basil, you can use your favorite herb or a blend of aromatic herbs. Instead of prosciutto, you can use salami, ham or smoked salmon. Once the dough is risen, lightly oil the work surface, quickly shape into a ball and transfer to the buttered and floured football cake pan; you can use a dome cake pan about 7 ½ cups (1,8 lt) capacity. Let it rise in the turned off oven with the light on for at least 2 hours. Soften the cream cheese with a bit of cream; add the grated cheese and the nutmeg. Divide the mixture into 2 bowls and sprinkle with pepper; taste for salt. Add the basil to a bowl and the prosciutto to the other, stir to blend. Transfer to 2 pastry bags and place in the fridge. Bake the dough in a preheated static oven at 340°F (170°C) for about 1 hour, then remove from the oven and turn it out onto a wire rack to cool. Wash the salad and tomatoes, pat them dry, then cut into slices; just remove the thick ribs from the leaves. Here’s my baked brioche: the bottom of the cake is not flat, return to the pan and trim off with a knife; don’t throw it away, but toast it for breakfast or as a snack, or allow to dry in the oven and process to fine crumbs. Cut around the inside of the cake, leaving about ⅔-¾ inch (1,5-2 cm) from the edge, then hollow it out. A curved edge knife works best, because you have to remove the inner part to create a bowl being careful not to cut through the bottom. Leave the cake in the pan to hold it steady and add the filling: pipe the basil cream cheese spread onto the bottom, cover with the prosciutto slices. Cut the inside of the cake into slices and separate the layers; if it breaks apart, patch it up with extra pieces of dough. Fill in any holes with scraps and move on to the second layer: salad leaves, tomato slices. Cover with the top layer, place a plate on top and keep in the fridge to cool and set for half an hour. Coat the football sandwich cake with a fontina cream sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour to make a roux, stir until the flour and butter are well blended and golden brown. Pour in the milk, stir quickly to remove any lumps and, when the mixture comes to a boil, add the grated fontina cheese. Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and stir until melted; add a pinch of salt. Pour the cream sauce over the sandwich cake; let it run down the sides, then place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. We’ll create the hexagon pattern using green and red bell peppers to resemble the Italian flag: cut the bell peppers into flat slices, using a 2-inch (5 cm) hexagon template. Blanch in boiling water, place on kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the other hexagons.
Ingredients for the brioche dough
- 2 ⅔ cups (300 g) of cake flour
- 2 ⅔ cups (350 g) of bread flour
- 1 tsp (4 g) of active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tbsp (20 g) of white sugar
- 4 tbsp (20 g) of grated grana cheese
- 1 cup (250 ml) of water
- ½ cup (125 ml) of milk
- 2 medium whole eggs + 1 yolk
- 1 ⅓ sticks (150 g) of softened butter
- ½ tbsp (8 g) of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
For the cream cheese spreads
- 2 cups (500 g) of fresh cream cheese
- 1 ⅓ tbsp (20 g) of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ¾ tbsp (40 g) of heavy cream
- just under ½ cup (40 g) of grated grana cheese
- 3,5 oz (100 g) of prosciutto
- 10 basil leaves
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
For filling
- 2,8 oz (80 g) of prosciutto slices
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 round tomato
For coating
- 3 ½ tbsp (50 g) of butter
- just under ½ cup (50 g) of flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) of fresh milk
- 1 cup (100 g) of grated fontina cheese
- 1 pinch of salt
For garnishing
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper