Tronco is a favourite cake along the Tuscan coast and you find it all the way to the very top part of the Maremma, the Etruscan coast, in Cecina. It literally means ‘log’ or ‘trunk’, and is almost always stained pink with Alchermes and filled with a rich chocolate cream or even chocolate-hazelnut spread. I find the latter too sweet and rich, and prefer it with a dark chocolate pastry cream.
The sponge recipe, one of my favourites, is slightly adapted from my friend Emma Gardner’s recipe – she is much more technical than me in the pastry department and I have simplified it somewhat, but it’s the recipe I use most. I even make this tronco for Christmas. I double the recipe for two rolls and turn them into a yule log, decorating with a thick, chocolate icing, crumbled meringue for snow and candied rosemary.