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Castagnaccio
Chestnut flour cake
Castagnaccio: Tuscany's flat autumn cake of chestnut flour, rosemary and pine nuts
When the new season's chestnut flour comes down from the Garfagnana, the Casentino and Monte Amiata in late October, Tuscan kitchens bake castagnaccio. It is a thin, dense, unleavened cake with no eggs, butter or sugar: just sweet chestnut flour, water and olive oil, studded with raisins, pine nuts and walnuts and scented with rosemary needles. The top cracks as it bakes, the middle stays moist and fudgy, and the flavour is earthy and gently sweet. Older Tuscans eat it with a glass of something; a spoon of ricotta alongside is lovely too. Chef's tip: sift the chestnut flour; it clumps easily, and lumps stay floury after baking.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz gluten-free chestnut flourcheck the pack is gluten free
- 1 ¾ cups cold waterroughly
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oilplus extra for the tin
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- 1 ⅜ oz pine nuts
- 1 ⅜ oz walnut halvesroughly broken
- 1 sprig fresh rosemaryneedles only
- 1 tsp orange zest (optional)finely grated
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak 2 ⅛ oz raisins in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze dry. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
10 minStep 2: Sift 10 ½ oz gluten-free chestnut flour and 1 pinch salt into a bowl. Whisk in 1 ¾ cups cold water a little at a time until you have a smooth batter as thick as pancake batter.
Step 3: Stir in 2 tablespoons of 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, half the raisins and 1 tsp orange zest.
Step 4: Oil a 28 cm round tin or 20 × 30 cm tray generously and pour in the batter. It should be no more than 1.5 cm deep. Common mistake: a small, deep tin; castagnaccio must be thin or it stays raw and gummy in the middle.
Step 5: Scatter the rest of the raisins, 1 ⅜ oz pine nuts, 1 ⅜ oz walnut halves and 1 sprig fresh rosemary over the top and drizzle with the remaining oil.
Step 6: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is dark brown and cracked like dry earth and the edges pull away from the tin.
40 minStep 7: Cool in the tin and serve warm or at room temperature, cut in wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does castagnaccio take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of extra-virgin olive oil?
- Vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil, same amount (for cooking; keep olive oil for dressings if you have a little).
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