Spiced Panforte Di Siena Recipe

Panforte di Siena is a traditional Italian dessert that is a dense, chewy cake that is traditionally served for breakfast. Its name translated into English is "strong bread." Despite its slightly intimidating name, this cake is a delicious dessert or snack option that works especially well during the holidays. And thanks to this recipe from recipe developer Jessica Case, you can taste a little slice of Siena in your own kitchen.

"I love all the flavors coming from the dried fruits and nuts," Cae says. "It's intense in a lovely way. And I love the crunchy texture from the nuts."

This recipe is also somewhat customizable. You can make it gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. You can also tweak the taste of the cake by using any combination of dried fruit, nuts, or spices — just make sure to follow the measurements in this recipe to keep the proportions of nuts and dried fruit consistent.

To make this Panforte di Siena, you'll need almonds, dried figs, candied orange slices, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, freshly ground black pepper, ground coriander, ground cloves, salt, honey, granulated sugar, and chopped semi-sweet chocolate.

You'll also need toasted blanched hazelnuts with the skin discarded. If you can't find blanched hazelnuts in a store, Case says it's totally possible to blanch your own hazelnuts."Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and hazelnuts," Case says. "Boil for 3 minutes, and drain and rinse with cold water. Pinch each nut between your fingers and the skin will just slip off."

Combine the nuts, chopped figs, and candied orange slice in a large bowl. Sift the flour, cocoa, spices, and salt together in another bowl and then add the nut mixture to the bowl.

Combine the honey and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, letting the sugar dissolve. Simmer the honey and sugar together over low heat for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate, and stir until the chocolate has melted.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour and nuts, and stir all ingredients together until they are well combined. This mixture will become quite firm, so Case advises rolling up your sleeves and putting some muscle into stirring.

Press the mixture into the prepared cake pan with a wooden spoon and smooth out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the cake pan and let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan. Dust the top of the cake with confectioner's sugar and chopped candied oranges.

Case recommends serving this cake for breakfast with hot coffee and eggs, or after dinner with some bourbon and Scotch, especially during the holidays. This Panforte di Siena should last up to 3 months in an airtight container in the freezer.