Italian chocolate Christmas cake
Serves: 14-16
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Nassima Rothacker
Italian chocolate Christmas cake
Recipe by Anna Glover
Panforte is a traditional Italian dessert, a sort of cross between a cake and a biscuit. Originating from Tuscany, it’s bursting with nuts, dried fruit and spices – including lots of aromatic black pepper. With the help of a little chocolate, I’ve transformed it into this indulgent fruit cake
Serves: 14-16
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
407Kcal
Fat
25gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
37gr
Sugars
30gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
8gr
Salt
0.5gr
Anna Glover
Anna is our former Creative Food Editor, and a cookery writer and food stylist. She loves a challenge and is known for whipping up interesting flavour combinations. She’s still in search of the best pizza in the world
See more of Anna Glover’s recipes
Anna Glover
Anna is our former Creative Food Editor, and a cookery writer and food stylist. She loves a challenge and is known for whipping up interesting flavour combinations. She’s still in search of the best pizza in the world
See more of Anna Glover’s recipes
Ingredients
- 200g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100g light soft brown sugar
- 100g dark soft brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 100g self-raising flour
- 75g ground almonds
- 25g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 200g sultanas
- 50g cut mixed peel
- 50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
- 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
- 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- zest and juice of 1 large orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Step by step
Get ahead
The cake will keep, well-wrapped and in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin. Beat the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer with the ‘K’ attachment (or with an electric whisk) until well combined and fluffy abour 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each, (if the batter starts to split add 1 tablespoon flour) then on a slow setting fold in the flour, ground almonds, cocoa and baking powder.
-
Add all the remaining ingredients, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix everything together. Scrape into the prepared tin, level the top, and bake for 1 hour 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. (Be careful not to hit the pockets of melted chocolate as this will look like raw cake batter, go in again if you’re unsure.)TipMake it gluten-free: substitute gluten-free self-raising flour, adding 1 teaspoon xanthan gum at the same time.
Make it smaller: halve the ingredients (use 40g ground almonds and 15g cocoa powder) and bake the mixture in a deep 15cm round cake tin for 1hr 10 minutes.
