Panpepato
Panpepato is a delicious Christmas spiced chocolate cake from Ferrara, Emilia Romagna. It's made with lots of chopped nuts, dried fruit, honey and black pepper and is topped with lots of melted dark chocolate. It's so delicious, festive and really easy to make.
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
- 110 g (1/3 cup) runny honey
- 40 g (1/4 cup) raisins soaked
- 75 g (1/2 cup) whole hazelnuts
- 75 g (1/2 cup) whole blanched almonds
- 55 g (1/2 cup) walnuts
- 1 tablespoon raisin liquid
- 40 g (1/4 cup) chopped candied orange peel (or candied fruit of choice)
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (see notes)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 95 g (3/4 cup) 00 flour
- 100 g (3.5oz) dark chocolate 70% cocoa, chopped
Topping
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate 70% cocoa
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Put the raisins in a small bowl or ramekin and cover them with hot water. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop all the nuts then set aside. You can also do this by pulsing them in a food processor for a couple of seconds.
- Heat the honey in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of the raisin water until the consistency has gone from thick and sticky to thin and runny (this only takes 1 minute or so). Don’t let it boil.
- Once runny, turn off the heat and add 100g of chopped dark chocolate. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes then stir it until completely melted and combined.
- Add the chopped nuts to the chocolate with the chopped candied peel. Squeeze the liquid out of the raisins then add them to the mixture and stir to coat everything in chocolate.
- Mix the flour with all the spices and black pepper then add that to the chocolate. Stir until well combined and the flour is completely absorbed.
- Dump the mixture in a mound on a lined baking tray. Using damp hands, shape the mixture into a dome then push it down so the top of the panpepato is flat.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and let the Panpepato cool completely.
Topping
- Once cooled, melt the remaining dark chocolate in a small saucepan or use a bain marie. Pour the melted chocolate over the Panpepato and let it set.
- Once set, cut into slices and enjoy!
Notes
- Ground cloves - this is a strong and fragrant spice which some like more than others. We recommend adding 1/8 teaspoon at first then when everything is incorporated taste the mixture and if the cloves are too subtle sprinkle over another 1/8 teaspoon and mix it in.
- Recommendation - Use a kitchen scale to weigh all ingredients for best results.
- Shaping the cake - use damp hands to shape the cake to stop it sticking to your hands. I do this by rinsing my hands then half-drying them with a towel (you don't want to add a lot of water either).
- Spices - You can adjust the amount of spices to taste. Nutmeg and cloves are very fragrant and strong in flavour. I originally tested this recipe with ¼ teaspoon of each and it was too much.
- Black pepper - Use freshly ground black pepper for best results, I find that pre-ground black pepper has an odd taste.
- Decorate the cake - after pouring on the melted chocolate you can decorate the top of the cake with more candied fruit and nuts to make it look pretty. Leave them to set in the chocolate.
- Storage - wrap the Panpepato in foil and store it in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost it fully at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.005g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
