Panforte

5 from 1 vote

Panforte - a Tuscan Christmas cake made with candied fruit, nuts, festive spices and dusted with powdered sugar. This dense and chewy fruitcake is such a delicious Christmas treat and perfecting for gifting!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Wyper

Equipment

7-8 inch cake pan
Silicone spatula (the mixture is very sticky so I really recommend using this)
Non-stick baking parchment

Ingredients

1 cup Italian 00 or all-purpose flour (140g)
1 cup sugar (200g)
3 cups mixed nuts we used almonds and hazelnuts (300g)
1 heaped cup candied mixed peel (200g)
½ cup runny honey (150g)
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg

For serving

powdered sugar (icing sugar)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
Line a 7-8 inch cake pan with parchment paper making sure you line both the bottom and the sides. To help the baking parchment stick to the cake pan you can rub a little butter or spray a little oil on the cake pan first.
Mix the flour, spices, nuts and candied peel in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
In a large pot or Dutch Oven add the sugar and honey on a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is slightly bubbling.
Turn the heat down low and add the flour and nut mixture to the honey, stir it quickly until it is thoroughly combined. It will be very sticky so a silicone spatula works best for this.
Once combined, spoon the mixture into the cake pan and smooth it out as you best you can.
Put in the oven and bake the panforte for 35 minutes, remove and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled remove from the cake pan and parchment paper and dust heavily with powdered sugar.
Slice and serve or store for later.

Video

Notes

Line your cake pan first - traditionally panforte is made using rice paper but I find that baking parchment works just as well just make sure you line it all the way up the sides so it's easy to remove. If you use rice paper you don't need to remove it as it's edible.
Work fast - when you add the dry ingredients to the honey mixture you need to stir to combine everything and place it in the cake pan relatively fast because as the honey cools it will start to harden making it much harder to work with.
Use a silicone spatula - this makes it so much easier to stir the sticky panforte mixture because the silicone spatula is non-stick.
Let it cool - let the panforte cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar or it'll just dissolve. You also want it to be completely cooled before slicing.
Gift it - wrap your Panforte di Siena in wax paper with a pretty ribbon and gift it to your family and friends for Christmas.
Storage - this keeps well in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 weeks or can be frozen. If freezing thaw completely before serving.

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