Day 22: Panforte
Home » Blog » Advent Calendar » Day 22: PanfortePanforte means ‘strong bread’ in Italian, and this dense, rich cake from Tuscany is traditionally served at Christmas with dessert wine. Beautifully wrapped, it also makes a gorgeous gift ...
Though the list of ingredients may be long, panforte is so dense that a little sliver goes a very long way.
In fact, back in the time of the Crusades, Italian soldiers would pack panforte as their preferred snack on the road. Because it's so energy rich (and it keeps for ages when packed in an airtight container), panforte also makes a useful addition to camping trips or hiking holidays.
Panforte
- 150g flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 1 cup roasted almonds
- 1/4 cup dried figs
- 1/4 cup dried apricots
- 100g glacé cherries
- 100g mixed peel
- 200g dark cooking chocolate
- 3/4 cup liquid honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Sift flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add spices, chopped nuts and dried fruit, cherries and mixed peel. Set aside.
Melt chocolate, honey and brown sugar together over a low heat. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
Press into a 30cm cake tin lined with baking paper and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the centre is firm to the touch. Let cool in the tin before slicing into wedges.
