Panforte di Sienna - Italian Christmas Cake
A traditional Christmas dessert served in Italy and invented many a year ago in sienna. A really rich nut and fruit cake, expensive to make but deserved at Xmas time. Serve with a little pouring cream. The cake will last for days and still be crunchy, chocolatey and smoothly moist. Left over cake can be rolled in to balls and served as a petit four.
Preparation time: 20 - 25 minutes Quantity: Serves 10 - 12 Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
200g / 8 oz ground almonds
100g / 4 oz whole almonds - chop roughly or leave whole
100g / 4 oz ground walnuts
100g / 4 oz ground hazelnuts
300g / 10 oz any candied peel - chopped
50g / 2 oz dried figs - chopped
50g / 2 oz cocoa powder
200g / 8 oz caster sugar
100g / 4 oz honey
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
a pinch each of ground cinnamon, cloves,
coriander and freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoon plain flour -sieved
To dust the top –
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons flour - mix together
Method
- Place the honey and sugar in a bain / in a big bowl over a pan of simmering water
- Simmer till the sugar is dissolved
- Mix in the other ingredients
- Spoon in to a greased tin 8 -10 inches
- Sieve the top with the cinnamon and flour
- Bake in the preheated oven Gas 3 / 160*C / 325*F - for 25 - 35 minutes
- Cool
- Will store for several weeks, serve dusted with icing sugar