Panforte Recipe

Panforte Photo: Jackie Cameron

“Delli Nene, takes her handmade delights to each table. There is nothing better than popping one of these authentic indulgences into the mouth to satisfy a sweet craving.

A digital thermometer is essential to ensure perfection when making these delectable delicacies. This leads me to Panforte, the Sienna (Italian) round Christmas cake which is very different from the familiar, English fruit cake. It has the sweet-spiciness and nuttiness of the traditional cake we all know so well, but it is nougat-like with deep cocoa-citrus flavouring. It can be eaten on its own to keep things simple, alternatively, homemade ice cream or vanilla-bean frozen yoghurt make delicious accompaniments.”

— Jackie Cameron

Panforte Recipe

Yields: +-27 at 7.5cm

Ingredients:

• 150g hazelnuts

• 130g flaked almonds

• 200g castor sugar

• 200g honey

• 30ml water

• 350g candied peel

• 50g cocoa

• 110g flour

• 3ml cinnamon

Method:

1. Roast the nuts and cool.

2. Place the sugar, honey and water into a pot and bring to 115˚C.

3. Put the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl including the nuts.

4. Add the sugar mixture.

5. Place the mixture into meat trays that are greased with aerosol and base-lined with rice paper.

6. Bake at 130˚C for 5 minutes.

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below. I look forward to hearing from you.