Chocolate Panforte

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Chocolate panforte lies somewhere between a nutty fruit cake and a confection, but is entirely its own thing. Also known as panforte di Siena, or Siena cake, there are many versions sold around the Italian region of Tuscany; this recipe is adapted from one taught to me by an Italian chef I worked for in my teens.

Prep Time45

Cook Time45

Total Time1 30

Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Food Gift, Morning Tea

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chocolate panforte, panforte

Servings: 8 inch round cakes

Calories: 3155kcal

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour plain flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder I use Dutch processed cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 cup chopped pitted dates 1/2" (1cm) pieces
1 cup chopped soft dried figs 1/2" (1cm) pieces
1 cup chopped candied apricots glace apricots, 1/2" (1cm) pieces
1 cup candied cherries glace cherries, red or green, halved
2/3 cup almonds whole, toasted
2/3 cup cashew nuts roughly chopped, toasted
2/3 cup hazelnuts skinned, whole, toasted
2/3 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped, toasted
1/4 cup clear honey
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
1 cup dark chocolate chunks semisweet or bittersweet; chips are ok if they'll melt easily
2 Tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300°F/150°C (convection temperature, no steam for my combi steam readers!). Grease 2 x 8 inch (20cm) round cake pans and line the bases with well-greased parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa and spices into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Add the chopped dried and candied fruits to the bowl, and stir well to separate the pieces and coat them all with the flour mixture.
1 cup chopped pitted dates, 1 cup chopped soft dried figs, 1 cup chopped candied apricots, 1 cup candied cherries
Add the toasted nuts to the bowl and stir well.
2/3 cup almonds, 2/3 cup cashew nuts, 2/3 cup hazelnuts, 2/3 cup macadamia nuts
Put the honey, both sugars and 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture comes to the boil. Let it boil for 1 minute (no more!), then remove from heat.
1/4 cup clear honey, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
Tip the chocolate into the hot honey mixture and stir until it's melted and smooth. Pour this chocolate syrup into the flour, fruit and nuts, and stir very well to combine everything. The mixture will be very stiff and glossy to look at, and there shouldn't be any streaks of flour left.
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pans and press it down evenly to make flat, relatively smooth cakes. It won't rise in the oven so make sure it's nice and even at this point.
Bake the panforte until it's set all over but still soft in the center, about 40-45 minutes. Do not overbake it! It's better to be slightly underbaked than overbaked. It's done when the whole cake looks a little dull on the surface, rather than shiny and glossy.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely in the pans, before running a knife around the edges and turning out.
Just before serving, dust the top of the panforte with powdered sugar. Serve in very thin slices. Chocolate panforte is best after it's had at least a few days (and preferably a couple of weeks) to mature. It will keep, well wrapped in a cool, dark place, for several months.

Notes

The dried fruits and nuts in this recipe can be interchanged with equivalent volumes of different fruits and nuts. If one or more of the stated fruits/nuts are hard to get, substitute extra of the others or replace altogether with another type. I would always include the dates as well as some variety of candied fruits for their texture and sweetness. And the almonds and hazelnuts are a must in our house, but other nuts are welcome in place of the cashews and macadamias.
Panforte is an excellent food gift that travels and ships well, and lasts a long time. If you're gifting, you can make smaller versions of the cakes. The recipe quantities will make 6 4-inch (10cm) rounds. Or, do as I do and cut the larger cakes into quarters for gifts. The traditional packaging is wax paper with a layer of brown (kraft) paper on the outside, and twine tied around the package. I sometimes use clear cellophane and a pretty ribbon instead.
The nutritional information for this recipe is for each cake, not per serving! You'll get about 20-30 thin slices of panforte from each cake, so they do go a long way. They're a lovely end to a big meal, or a small sweet snack with coffee.

Nutrition