Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (2024)

Panforte di Siena is probably one of the oldest and best-known Italian Christmas treats, and it can easily be made at home and enjoed all year round.With or without a personal twist in the spicing and the ingredients.

Most sources agree that Panforte di Siena or Panpepato dates back to the early Middle Ages, where it was a privilege of the nobility and people of the church, due to the use of exotic and extremely expensive ingredients such as ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Culinaria Italia claim that the first written reference to Panforte has been found in the Convent of Montecelso, where a document from 1205 states that peasants are obliged to pay a considerable number of honeyed pepper cakes as taxes to the nuns.

According to another legend a young man from a wealthy family, Nicoló Salimbeni, regretted his lascivious and hedonistic life style, and in penance donated his possessions including a valuable shrine of spices and a recipe for Panforte to one of the nuns in Montecelso. She passed the gift on to other fraternal orders, which explains why Panforte was served on festive occasions in Venezia in the 14th century.

Like Ricciarelli cookies, there are references to the Crusaders carrying Panforte, a durable confection, with them on their quests, and to the use of Panforte in surviving sieges. For the story behind the cake visit theMuseo di Panforte di Siena.

Panforte di Siena is enjoyed throughout the world; few foreign tourists return from Siena without one of the edible souvenirs; and then we are some who make our own Panforte in order to give Christmas a distinctive Italian flavour. The recipe below is the one I use, but you can substitute with other kinds of candied fruits and nuts.

Ingredients

100 g peeled almonds
100 g walnuts
100 g hazelnuts
150 g dried apricots
75 g candied orange peel
75 g candied lemon peel
150 g powdered sugar
100 g honey (eg. Millefiori)
1-2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 150C/300F

Roast the nuts on a dry frying pan, and chop 2/3 of the nuts finely by hand. Mix nuts, chopped dried or candied fruit, flour and spices in a bowl.

Melt honey and powdered sugar in a Bain Marie over low heat. Stir the melted sugar and honey into the fruit and nuts. The dough is so firm it can be mixed and formed by hand.

Place the dough in a flat circle on a sheet of baking paper in a spring form or pie form and bake for 30 minutes.

Leave the Panforte di Siena to cool on a wire rack and dust it with powdered sugar before serving.

If you like Panforte di Siena you might also want to try

Cranberry cake

Christmas log recipe

Parrozzo – Abruzzo chocolate cake for Christmas

  1. Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (1)

    Francesca says:

    October 3, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    Thank you for sharing one of my city best treasures! I must say though that we don’t use walnuts or hazelnuts in the mix, only almonds. While the ratio for honey-sugar is 50:150. Although I am quite sure that the original recipe did not have sugar at all but only honey.
    I love it covered with icing sugar but many people use black pepper (hence “panpepato”).

    Ciao
    Francesca

    Reply

  2. Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (2)

    admin says:

    October 3, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    Thanks for the comment and the inside info. I’ve been wondering, where the panepepato came from, but now I know – even if I don’t want to try it;)

    Reply

  3. Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (3)

    Francesca says:

    October 3, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    If you are in Italy this December I would invite you to Siena to share a slice of panforte with me and my family! :D

    Reply

  4. Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (5)

    Calogero Mira says:

    December 11, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    I have never baked panforte from Siena. It must be wonderful!

    Reply

    • Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (6)

      admin says:

      December 12, 2012 at 9:03 am

      You should try it:)

      Reply

  5. Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (7)

    Kristoffer says:

    September 6, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    This is delicious,and when it’s no sugar but only honey,it is good for diet,too.

    Reply

    • Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (8)

      Mette Vaabengaard says:

      September 11, 2016 at 5:38 pm

      I pretend that too. But I’m not sure it would stand a fact checking test if you sum up all the calories in dried fruit and nuts.

      Reply

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  1. July 27, 2023 at 9:01 am

    […] well with with cookies and dry pastry. It’s perfect with a traditional Genoese Pandolce, a Sienese Panforte, or a simple apricot tart. It is a complex wine, that can also be served alone as a meditation […]

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Panforte di Siena recipe - Italian Notes (2024)

FAQs

What is panforte Siena? ›

Panforte is a traditional chewy Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts. It is similar to a florentine but much thicker, or a little like a lebkuchen. Known throughout all Italy, it is a Christmas tradition associated most especially with the province of Siena.

What does panforte mean in Italian? ›

Panforte, meaning "strong bread," traces its roots back to the medieval city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy.

What is the difference between panpepato and panforte? ›

Both are fruit cakes, pan pepato (or panpepato) is flavored with black pepper and chocolate, while pan forte (or panforte) is milder, with the chocolate and pepper omitted. Documentation of these fruitcakes dates back to the 1200s, and shows that this type of bread was paid to Siena monasteries as a tithe.

In which Italian region did the fruitcake panforte originate? ›

Panforte is a Christmas tradition in Tuscany, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages in Siena. This delicious cross between cake and candy, with a soft and chewy texture, was intended exclusively for nobles and the clergy due to the presence of expensive and rare spices.

What is Panforte made of? ›

Panforte, a Christmas "fruitcake" native to Siena, Italy, is a delicious cross between candy and cake. Hazelnuts, almonds, and candied peel, mixed with flour, spices, and a rich honey-butter-sugar syrup, are baked till barely set.

How do you eat panforte? ›

Panforte is a chewy, delicious Italian fruitcake made with honey, sugar, nuts, chocolate and fruit. Traditionally, it is dusted with icing sugar and served with strong black coffee. It can also make a decadent dessert. Served in thin wedges, a little goes a long way.

What is the history of panforte di Siena? ›

Traditionally panforte was known as a delicacy for nobles and the upper class. In the early 1200's servants and settlers would present panforte to the nuns and monks of the monastery of Montecelso near Siena, Italy. Today panforte is traditionally served around Christmas time, but can be enjoyed year round.

What is big girl in Italian? ›

en. big girl = ragazzona.

What is the difference between Pandoro and Panforte? ›

In stark contrast to Pandoro's airy sweetness, Panforte is a robust and densely packed Italian Christmas cake. Hailing from Siena in Tuscany, this dessert has a history dating back to the Middle Ages. The name "Panforte" itself means "strong bread," alluding to its robust nature.

What is the difference between Panforte and panettone? ›

Today we see candied cherries (red) and citron (green) mixed in the panforte for a dash of patriotism (or holiday cheer, you pick!). Panettone, on the other hand, is a fluffy, delightful, sweet bread from Milan that is a staple in every Italian home for the holidays.

What is Panforte panpepato? ›

A flat cake from the Italian city of Siena.

It is a specialty, more precisely a Christmas fruit cake that originated in the Tuscan city of Siena and its immediate surroundings (Siena province and also Massa Marittima).

What is the name of the cake traditionally eaten in Italy? ›

Panettone: history and characteristics of this italian cake. People everywhere eat panettone while celebrating their Christmas holidays, perhaps without knowing that the word Panettone comes from the Milanese dialect 'Pan del ton', which means 'luxurybread'. Yes, the Panettone is a local speciality.

Can you freeze panforte? ›

Invert panforte again and allow to cool completely. (When cool, it can be wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and stored in an airtight container for several weeks, or frozen for up to 6 months.) Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar and cut in small wedges.

What is the name of the classic cake that originated in Italy? ›

Cassata cake originated in Sicily, Italy. It is an incredibly luxurious cake made up of layers of sponge cake laced with orange liqueur, and layered with a filling made of sweetened ricotta, candied fruits, and chocolate pieces.

What is the history of Panforte di Siena? ›

Traditionally panforte was known as a delicacy for nobles and the upper class. In the early 1200's servants and settlers would present panforte to the nuns and monks of the monastery of Montecelso near Siena, Italy. Today panforte is traditionally served around Christmas time, but can be enjoyed year round.

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