Panforte
I just cannot decide if this is a cake, cookie, candy, or all 3! It's very close to panforte, a cake typically served around Christmas time from Siena in Italy’s Tuscany region, and this delicious treat has it all – nuts, fruits, spice, and best of all, chocolate. Bonus: It's gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup toasted whole almonds
- 1 cup whole hazelnuts
- 1 cup soft pitted prunes, (quartered)
- 1 cup soft dried mission figs, (cut into 6 pieces each)
- 1 cup soft raisins
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Toast hazelnuts and remove skins with a kitchen towel, then set aside.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Line the springform pan with parchment paper and dust with cocoa powder, knocking out any excess.
- Whisk together flour, spices, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl, then stir in nuts and fruit.
- Bring sugar and honey to boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Immediately pour honey over the fruit mixture and quickly stir until combined. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
- Quickly spoon the mixture into the springform pan, spreading evenly with the back of spoon.a
- Dampen hands and press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan to compact as much as possible.
- Bake in the middle of the oven until the edges start to rise slightly and become matte (about 50 to 55 minutes).
- Cool completely in pan on rack, then remove from side of pan and invert, peeling off paper.
- Cut into slices with a serrated knife to serve. This stores very well for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.