Christmas Baking: Panaforte (Siena Cake)

image from here

This is more a toffee than a cake. It's chewy, chocolatey and packed with dried fruit and nuts. With no flour in it, it makes an excellent gluten free treat. Because it's so dense it packs and travels well and so makes and excellent gift. I've used a few recipes (including one from my mother-in-law) to put this one together. It got rave reviews last Christmas. It takes a bit of time, but you have to try it, totally worth it, a labour of love.



Italian panforte
Makes 1 x 20cm round cake

• Melted butter, to grease
• 280g of toasted nuts (I used almonds, hazelnuts, pinenuts and pecans)
• 280g of chopped dried fruit (I used mixed peel, figs, cherries, crystalised ginger, pear and glace pineapple)
• 100g (2/3 cup) almond meal
• 2 tbs best dutch cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 75g good-quality 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 125ml (1/2 cup) honey
• 55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a 20cm (base measurement) springform pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper or better still edible rice paper.
Place almonds and hazelnuts in a large bowl. Add the dried fruit and stir until well combined. Sift over the combined almond meal, cocoa, cinnamon and mixed spice and stir to combine.
Place chocolate, honey and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and chocolate melts. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, without stirring, for 2 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 116°C or 'soft ball stage' (If you don't have a thermometer, drop 1 teaspoonful of syrup into a glass of cold water. If the syrup becomes a soft ball...it's at soft ball stage.)
Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the fruit mixture and, working quickly, stir until well combined. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until just firm. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
To serve, dust with icing sugar and cut into wedges.
Panforte will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.