Documents from 1205 show that panforte was paid to the monks and nuns of a local Italian monastery as a tax that was due on the seventh of February that year.
Literally, panforte means “strong bread”, which refers to the spicy flavour. The original name of panforte was “panpepato” (peppered bread), due to the strong pepper used in the cake.
This is my version that combines five of my most treasured spices and ingredients – ingredients that started global trade – black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, oranges and chocolate.
The cake contains whisky, sugar and chillies as well; ingredients that also drove the ancient traders to travel to the other side of the globe.
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Easy Gluten Free and Vegan options
PrintFive Treasure Cake -Thermomix method
Makes one 15 cm round cake or two 10cm cakes
- Prep Time: 15 + 2 hours soaking time
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 x 15 cm cake
- Category: Festive
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Ingredients
20 g whisky (or spirit of choice)
35 g pitted dates, roughly chopped
45 g sultanas, roughly chopped
75 g good quality dark chocolate, in small pieces
20 g unsalted butter/olive oil
30 g honey or maple syrup
25 g sugar
Zest of 1 orange
110 g walnuts and almonds, roughly chopped (55 g walnuts 55 g almonds or nuts of choice)
10 g desiccated coconut
20 g plain flour (oat flour/spelt flour/rice flour)
20 g Dutched cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting to serve
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
pinch of ground chilli (optional but nice)
Instructions
In Advance – 2 hours to overnight
Place whisky in a small bowl and add dates and sultanas.
Leave to soak for a few hours or better overnight.
On baking day
Preheat oven to 160C non-fan (140C fan-forced). Grease and line a 15 cm round tin. Set aside.
Place sugar and orange peel into mixing bowl and mill 8 sec/ speed 10. Set aside.
Place nuts, and soaked dates and sultanas with excess liquid into mixing bowl
and chop 3 sec/speed 5. Set aside.
Place chocolate and butter into mixing bowl and melt 3 min/50C/speed 1. Scrape
down the sides.
Cook again 2-3 min/50C/speed 1 until all chocolate has melted. Add honey, and
orange sugar and cook 5 mins/50C/speed 2.
Add reserved chopped nut and fruit mix, coconut, flour, cocoa powder, ginger
cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, chilli (if using). Stir 5 sec/reverse/speed 3.
The batter is quite thick.
Spoon into the prepared tin smooth top with wet hands.
Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes the centre will feel soft but will firm on cooling.
The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow
to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.
Serve dusted with icing sugar or cocoa powder.
Store in the refrigerator and serve in small slices.
Keywords: thermomix, panforte, chocolate cake , vegan cake, Christmas baking
Five Treasure Cake Conventional method
Makes one 15 cm round cake or two 10cm cakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours soaking time
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 1x 15 cm cake
- Category: holiday baking
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: European
Ingredients
20 g whisky (or spirit of choice)
35 g pitted dates, roughly chopped
45 g sultanas, roughly chopped
75 g good quality dark chocolate, in small pieces
20 g unsalted butter (olive oil for vegan option)
30 g honey or maple syrup
25 g sugar
Zest of 1 orange
110 g walnuts and almonds, roughly chopped (55 g walnuts 55 g almonds or nuts of choice)
10 g desiccated coconut
20 g plain flour (oat flour/spelt flour/rice flour)
20 g Dutched cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting to serve
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
pinch of ground chilli (optional but nice)
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Instructions
Place whisky in a small bowl and add dates and sultanas.
Leave to soak for a few hours or better overnight.
Preheat oven to 160C non-fan (140C fan-forced). Grease and line a 15 cm round tin. Set aside.
Place chocolate and unsalted butter into mixing bowl and melt over a saucepan with simmering water. Scraping down sides until all chocolate has melted.
Add honey, orange zest and sugar and cook 5 mins.
Add chopped nuts and soaked fruit mix with liquid from soaking, coconut,
flour, cocoa powder, ginger cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, chilli (if using).
Stir till well combined.
The batter is quite thick. Spoon into the prepared tin smooth top with wet hands. Bake
in a preheated oven for 35 minutes the centre will feel soft but will firm on
cooling. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out
clean.
Allow cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.
Serve dusted with icing sugar or cocoa powder.
Store in the refrigerator and serve in thin slices.
Keywords: vegan baking, panforte, chocolate cake, Christmas baking