Italian Fruit And Nut Cake Food

PANFORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
• Line a 7-8 inch cake pan with parchment paper making sure you line both the bottom and the sides. To help the baking parchment stick to the cake pan you can rub a little butter or spray a little oil on the cake pan first.
• Mix the flour, spices, nuts and candied peel in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
• In a large pot or Dutch Oven add the sugar and honey on a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is slightly bubbling.
• Turn the heat down low and add the flour and nut mixture to the honey, stir it quickly until it is thoroughly combined. It will be very sticky so a silicone spatula works best for this.
• Once combined, spoon the mixture into the cake pan and smooth it out as you best you can.
• Put in the oven and bake the panforte for 35 minutes, remove and allow to cool completely.
• Once cooled remove from the cake pan and parchment paper and dust heavily with powdered sugar.
• Slice and serve or store for later.

PANFORTE DI SIENNA (ITALIAN FRUIT CAKE)

Steps:

• Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325° F. Coat the pan with cooking spray, then lay a round of parchment in the bottom, and then coat the top of the parchment with cooking spray. Dust flour all the way around the sides and the bottom and tap out any extra. The panforte will be very sticky, so you want the pan to be well-prepared.
• In the large bowl, toss together prepared almonds, hazelnuts, figs, apricots, and orange peels.
• In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and ground pepper. Make sure all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients to the fruit and nuts and toss together until everything is thoroughly coated.
• In the medium sauce pan with the candy thermometer attached, add the sugar, honey and butter and cook over medium heat until the temperature reaches 217° F. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the candy thermometer. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the fruit and nuts mixture and stir together with a nonstick spatula until everything is thoroughly coated.
• Pour into the prepared baking pan and spread the mixture around evenly.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the surface is bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• To serve, dust with powdered sugar and cut into thin slices. Wrap in parchment and plastic wrap to store.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Add eggs, nuts and fruit.
• Mix well.
• Put into a greased loaf pan and bake on 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
• Cool and turn out of pan.
• Slice loaf as thinly as possible and layer on large oven tray.
• Reduce oven to low temperature and place tray in oven to dry out biscotti for approximately another 40 minutes.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper and sides of pan. Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix first 10 ingredients together in large bowl.
• Stir honey and 1/3 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and cook until candy thermometer registers 235°F. (soft-ball stage), stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Mix in nut-flour mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Press to even thickness using buttered palm of hand or spoon. Bake until top is no longer sticky, about 35 minutes. Cool. Sift powdered sugar over. (Can be prepared 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

FESTIVE FRUIT & NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23cm round loose-based cake tin with Bake-o-Glide or baking parchment (see overleaf). Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
• Measure off 100g/4oz of the cake mixture, put in a bowl and set aside. Fold the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan. Spoon this mixture into the prepared cake tin and flatten with a spatula to make a smooth even surface, then make a slight dip in the centre of the cake. This simple trick will give the finished cake a nice flat top. Bake for 11⁄4 hours.
• While the cake is in the oven, make the fruit and nut topping. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture (see tip overleaf). Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 11⁄4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake. Loosely cover the top of the tin with foil.
• Return to the oven for 40 minutes more, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark. To test the cake mixture is cooked, insert a fine skewer into the cake - if it comes out clean then it's ready. Cool in the tin then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil. (The cake will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of one large 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 2 smaller 8 x 4 loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt, baking powder and baking soda to combine. Add the brown sugar, all the dried fruit, and nuts and mix thoroughly with your fingers. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract until light. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands until all the fruits and nuts are coated with batter. Scrape into the prepared pan (pans).
• Bake until the top is deep golden brown and the batter clinging to the fruit seems set, about 1 hour for smaller loaves, 10-15 minutes longer for a large loaf. Tent loosely with foil if the cake appears to be browning too much. Cook completely in the pan(s) on a rack.
• When completely cool, remove the cake from the pan(s). The cake keeps, wrapped airtight in foil or plastic wrap, for several weeks at room temperature or at least 3 months in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for at least 6 months.
• To serve, cut into thin slices with a sharp heavy knife.

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE AND NUT CAKE (PANFORTE)

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water
• Use a fork to beat the egg whites in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Add in the peel, ground almonds, the nuts, icing sugar and Amaretto. Mix well, then very gently fold in the melted chocolate.
• Line a circular flan dish measuring about 18cm across and 3sm deep with clingfilm. Pour in the mixture and set aside for 2 hours.
• To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water
• Melt the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir to check the sugar has melted, then add the chocolate to make a syrup.
• Turn out the cake onto a plate and peel off the clingfilm. Use a spatula to cover the surface with the chocolate syrup. Set aside for 1 hour until the chocolate has hardened.
• Serve in slices, dusted with icing sugar, with a cup of your favourite tea.

100% FRUIT AND NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruit in 2 cups boiling water for as long as possible (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover the dates with water in a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes until soft and toffeeish (adding more water is needed).
• Drain the fruit and mix with the dates (if you're not making it for children, you can add a splash of Cointreau or brandy if you want).
• Mix in the almonds and baking powder, adding a bit more water if the mixture seems too dry. Mix well then put in round cake tin.
• Bake about 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean (check after an hour, will depend on size of tin, covering with foil after about 30 minutes.