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Whole panforte di Siena dusted with powdered sugar, sliced to show almonds and candied orange peel inside

Classic Panforte di Siena: Honey, Nuts, and Warm Spice

A dense Tuscan honey-nut cake bound with candied citrus and warm spice, baked low and sliced thin.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian (Tuscan)
Calories: 235
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Nuts and Fruit
  • 200 g whole blanched almonds
  • 100 g toasted hazelnuts skins rubbed off
  • 150 g candied orange peel, diced
  • 100 g candied citron, diced or more orange peel
Dry Mix
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
Honey Syrup
  • 150 g honey mild, like acacia
  • 100 g granulated sugar
For the Pan
  • 2 rice paper or wafer paper sheets; to line a 20 cm pan, or use parchment
  • 3 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Method
 

Prep the Pan and Fruit
  1. Heat the oven to 150C / 300F. Line a 20 cm springform pan with rice paper, or grease it and line with parchment.
  2. Roughly chop the almonds and hazelnuts if whole. Dice the candied orange peel and citron into small, even pieces.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, white pepper and salt.
  2. Add the nuts and candied fruit to the bowl and toss until everything is evenly coated in the flour mixture.
Cook the Honey Syrup
  1. Combine the honey and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring.
  2. Clip on a candy thermometer and simmer until the syrup reads 116C / 240F, the soft-ball stage. This takes about 6 to 8 minutes, watch it closely near the end since it can scorch fast.
Combine and Bake
  1. Pour the hot syrup over the nut and flour mixture immediately. Stir fast with a sturdy spoon, the mixture stiffens within a minute.
  2. Scrape the dough into the lined pan. Press it flat and even with a spatula dipped in cold water.
  3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the surface looks dry and matte. The center will still feel soft, it firms up as it cools.
  4. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, at least 1 hour, before unmolding.
  5. Dust the top generously with powdered sugar and slice thin with a warmed knife to serve.

Notes

  • Line the pan with rice paper if you can find it, it keeps the base from sticking without added fat.
  • Chop candied fruit small and even so every slice holds together.
  • Don't skip the candy thermometer, judging soft-ball stage by eye is unreliable.
  • Rest the finished panforte a day before slicing for the spices to settle in.