Bertie’s Panforte di Siena

“Bertie, with all his soul, loved Panforte di Siena.” – The World According to Bertie.

Panforte di Siena is a chewy, dense Italian fruit cake, a cross between a Florentine and nougat. Sold in Bertie’s favourite delicatessen, Valvona & Crolla, it is equally delicious homemade.

Serves: 1 small Scottish boy (12 slices) Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 30 minutes

You’ll need:

200g (7oz) whole almonds 150g (5½ oz) whole hazelnuts 100g (3½ oz) dried figs 150g (5½ oz) candied fruit 150g (5½ oz) plain flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground coriander seeds ½ tsp ground cloves

¾ tsp nutmeg

150g (5½ oz) honey

150g (5½ oz) granulated sugar 2–4 sheets edible wafer paper (or 2–3 tbsp icing sugar)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F, gas mark 4).

2. Roast the nuts on a baking tray for 5–7 minutes. Leave to cool.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 160C (320F, gas mark 3).

4. Grease the sides of a 20cm cake pan and line the bottom with wafer paper, if using.

5. Roughly chop the figs and candied fruit.

6. In a large bowl, mix together the nuts, figs and candied fruit.

7. In another bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and spices.

8. In a medium pan, over a medium heat, stir together the honey and sugar until the mixture starts to boil. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.

9. Add the nut/fruit mixture and the flour mixture to the pan and stir to combine.

10. Scoop the mixture into your cake pan and press down with wet hands so that the batter is even.

11. Cover the top with more wafer paper, if using, and gently press down with damp fingers.

12. Bake for 30 minutes.

13. Once cool, run a wet knife around the outside of the cake to remove.

14. If not using wafer paper, dust the top and bottom of the cake liberally with icing sugar.