How to Make Panforte di Siena

One of the typical products of Siena is Panforte, a cake traditionally eaten at Christmas time, historically celebrated since 1000 A.D. Legend has it that the cake was invented by a nun, Sister Berta, who was worried about the state of health of her co-citizens who were under the Florentine occupation in 1555. The cake was used as an “emergency food” for local military, explaining its high level of calories needed for Energy (100g of Panforte totals approx. 400 calories).

Ingredients
• 75 g sugar
• 75 g honey
• 125 g almonds
• 50 g hazelnuts
• 75 g walnuts
• Candied fruit: 100 g citrus fruit, 50 g orange, 50 g cherries
• 50 g dried figs
• 2 egg-whites
• 4 g cinnamon powder
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of powdered ginger
• Pinch of pepper (optional)
• Wafers
• Small amount of butter
• 1 spoon of flour
• 50 g icing sugar

Preparation
In a pan on a low heat, melt the sugar and honey by constantly stirring ideally with a wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix the dried (peeled, skinned and broken into small pieces) with the finely chopped candied fruit together with the spices and egg-whites. As soon as the sugar and honey has thickened, add it to the other ingredients and stir vigorously.

Cover the bottom of a cake tin with the waters and grease the sides with butter and dust with flour, then pour the mixture into the cake tin. Push the mixture with your hands making sure there are no empty spaces and leave half a centimetre between the cake and the top rim of the tin.

Bake at 150° for 40 minutes. Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar.