Panpepato is a typical cake served around Christmas which has ancient origins and comes from Siena. Panpepato cake is more rustic than the more familiar Panforte, with lots of spices, giving it a strong flavour. It is probably also the oldest variation of these types of cakes and is thought to have been created at the Monastery of Corpus Domini during the 15th century. Its original name is said to have been “pan del pape” (bread of the pope) or “pan pepato” (peppered bread).
Chocolate as a layer over the whole cake was introduced in the late 19th century which differentiates it from the Christmas cakes of Emilia and Romagna and helps keep it moist through the entire holiday season.
Find a luxury villa in Siena and try out a Tuscan Christmas or bring a little bit of Tuscany to your table at home while you plan a holiday for the new year!
Chocolate as a layer over the whole cake was introduced in the late 19th century which differentiates it from the Christmas cakes of Emilia and Romagna and helps keep it moist through the entire holiday season.
Find a luxury villa in Siena and try out a Tuscan Christmas or bring a little bit of Tuscany to your table at home while you plan a holiday for the new year!
Ingredients
Serves 5
2 sheets of confectioner's rice paper
50g of plain flour
40g of Dutch-process cocoa
1 tbsp of ground mixed spice
1 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp of coarsely crushed pink peppercorns
200g of candied oranges, coarsely chopped
80g of roasted almonds
80g of walnuts
80g of hazelnuts
150g of caster sugar
150g of honey
Icing sugar to dust
Method
1. Before starting, prepare the hazelnuts and walnuts. Remove the nut skins by roasting the nuts at 180C for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool, then rub off skins between two ends of a folded tea towel.
2. Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly grease five 10cm-diameter pans, lining with baking paper and then rice paper.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl, add spices, orange and nuts and toss to coat well in flour mixture.
4. Heat the caster sugar, honey and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir again as mixture may crystallise.
5. Bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 120C on a sugar thermometer. Pour over the over nut mixture, mixing well. Spoon into prepared pans and smooth tops with an oiled spatula.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, turn out and dust liberally with icing sugar.
For the perfect Tuscan Christmas dessert while you add a “holiday in Tuscany” to your Christmas wishlist, try this recipe out!
Serves 5
2 sheets of confectioner's rice paper
50g of plain flour
40g of Dutch-process cocoa
1 tbsp of ground mixed spice
1 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp of coarsely crushed pink peppercorns
200g of candied oranges, coarsely chopped
80g of roasted almonds
80g of walnuts
80g of hazelnuts
150g of caster sugar
150g of honey
Icing sugar to dust
Method
1. Before starting, prepare the hazelnuts and walnuts. Remove the nut skins by roasting the nuts at 180C for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool, then rub off skins between two ends of a folded tea towel.
2. Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly grease five 10cm-diameter pans, lining with baking paper and then rice paper.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl, add spices, orange and nuts and toss to coat well in flour mixture.
4. Heat the caster sugar, honey and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir again as mixture may crystallise.
5. Bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 120C on a sugar thermometer. Pour over the over nut mixture, mixing well. Spoon into prepared pans and smooth tops with an oiled spatula.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, turn out and dust liberally with icing sugar.
For the perfect Tuscan Christmas dessert while you add a “holiday in Tuscany” to your Christmas wishlist, try this recipe out!
Photo credit: Marco Varisco / CC BY-SA 2.0