Chestnut Cake Castagnaccio Recipe

Chestnut Cake Castagnaccio is a typical Tuscan recipe based on chestnut flour. It has a strong flavour, thanks to the strength of chestnuts and the presence of rosemary, even if attenuated by the sweetness of the raisins and the softness of the pine nuts. A perfect sweet alternative for those who are gluten intolerant and do not contain dairy products, eggs, or butter. The quality of the flour makes the difference. If you love cooking, much better to try different flours. I take it for granted that extra virgin olive oil is of high quality, but its strength of the oil will also determine the organoleptic characteristics of this dessert.

CHESTNUT CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:

400 gr chestnut flour
40 gr sugar
a pinch of salt
600 ml of cold water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
100 gr golden raisins
50 gr pine nuts
fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation:

Mix chestnut flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the water, bit by bit, stirring to avoid lumps. When smooth, add extra-virgin olive oil to the batter and let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180ºC and soak the raisins in cold water for 15 minutes.
Pour the batter into the baking dish lined with parchment paper. It should be no more than 1-1,3 cm. Evenly scatter over the well-drained raisins, pine nuts, and rosemary.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until you see little cracks appear all over the top. Do not overbake or it will become very dry. Let cool in the pan, and your Castagnaccio is ready to be served. Keep it at room temperature. Better to avoid the fridge.

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