Panforte

By Maverick19

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 2/3 cup candied citrus peel, chopped
• 2/3 cup candied pineapple, chopped
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 $ tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• pinch of white pepper
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• confectioners' sugar, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

1. Line an 8 inch springform pan rice paper or waxed paper and grease well with butter.
2. Toast the nuts under a broiler, turning them so that they brown on all sides, then allow to cool. Put the nuts in a bowl with the candied peel, pineapple, lemon zest, flour and spices and toss together. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
3. Put the sugar, honey and butter in a saucepan and melt them together. Cook the syrup until it reaches 245 degrees F, on a candy thermometer.
4. Pour the syrup into the nut mixture and mix well, working fast before it stiffens too much. Pour straight into the prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for 35 minutes. (Unlike other cakes, this cake will neither firm up as it cooks nor color at all, so you need to time it carefully)
5. Cool in the pan until the cake firms up enough to remove the side of the pan. Peel off the paper ad leave to cool completely. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar.