Castagnaccio
(Chestnut Cake) Recipe

Origin: Italy      Period: Traditional

This is a classic cake common to the mountainous regions of Northern Italy. This is a very traditional recipe for what effectively started out as peasant food. The recipe presented here comes from Milan and is more like a large biscuit (cookie) than a cake.

Ingredients:

500g swet chestnut flour
150g pine nuts
100g sultanas
10g butter
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
salt, to taste

Castagnaccio
(Chestnut Cake) Preparation:

Method:

Add the flour to a bowl and stir-in the oil then add the sultanas, pine nuts, a pinch of salt and the sugar. Mix to combine then add just enough warm water to bring the mixture together as a stiff dough.

Turn onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll out to about 1cm thick. Trim neatly (use a plate) then transfer to a baking tray greased with the butter. Place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 30 minutes, until set and lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, slice and serve.

Read: Recipe Articles and Reviews

More European recipes...

More recipes for breads, cakes and pastries...

More Traditional recipes...

More recipes for Cakes...

More recipes for Fruit...

More recipes for Nuts...

More Baking recipes...

Are any of the terms used here unfamiliar, do you want to translate from British to American cookery terms? If so then this Glossary of US and UK Cookery Terms will help you.

Need to convert any units on this site?

As a guide 1 US cup of flour = 4 1/2 oz = 140g (this applies to breadcrumbs, ground almonds etc
1 US cup of butter/margarine or sugar = 7 oz = 200g

For temperature conversions (Celsius, gas mark, Farenheit) go to the Temperature conversion page.
For mass conversions (grammes, cups, spoons, ounces etc) go to the Mass/Weight conversion page.
For temperature conversions (litres, cups, spoons, fluid ounces etc) go to the Volume conversion page.
You can also see more cookery terms and meanings as well as ingredient descriptions at the Cooks' glossary