Pan speziato al cacao
Cocoa spiced Christmas bread
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- 400 g (14oz) white flour
- 50 g (1 3/4oz) cocoa
- 500 ml (16 fl oz - 2C) honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 85 g (3oz) peeled almonds, quartered
- 85 g (3oz) candied orange
- 85 g (3oz) peeled hazelnuts, halved
- Half a glass orange-flavoured liqueur
- 7,5 g (1/4oz - 1 tablespoon) cake yeast
- Pinch of salt
- Unsalted butter
- For garnishing
- 85 g (3 oz) marzipan
- Icing sugar
- Candied cherries
- Food colourings
- Time:
preparation: 40 minutes
plus resting time for the dough
cooking: 60 minutes - Difficulty:
medium difficulty - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: XX (kCal) - XX (kJ)
Protein: XX (g)
Total fat: XX (g)
Total carbohydrate: XX (g)
Sugars: XX (g)
Pour honey into a little saucepan and add 50 ml (2 fl oz - 1/4 C) water; bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile put all the other ingredients in a bowl: the sifted flour, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, almonds, hazelnuts and candied orange. Melt yeast in orange-flavoured liqueur and
add to other ingredients. Pour over boiling honey, stir accurately with a wooden spoon and
let the mixture rest for about an hour. Don't worry if the mixture is hard: it must be so.
Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Butter a deep cake tin, transfer the mixture and cook in the oven for about an hour. You can control cooking with a toothpick. Insert a toothpick in the cake; if you see no dough remainder on it, the cake is cooked.
Let the cake cool in the tin, remove from it and prepare decorations.
Knead marzipan with icing sugar, following the directions on the package and colour it.
You can make all the decorations you want. We made a branch with red berries made with candied cherries and coloured marzipan.
What's the right wine ?
Our suggestion is: Moscato di Pantelleria (dessert wine from Sicily - Italy)
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
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