Panforte • Panpepato

Panforte is a sweet pastry from Italy. It is a specialty, more specifically a Christmas cake with fruit, originating from the Tuscan city of Siena and its immediate surroundings (the province of Siena and also Massa Marittima). Although it has some similarities to the British fruitcake (it contains fruits, nuts, and traditional spices), its texture and taste are very different. If you bite into a piece of panforte, you'll be surprised by its thick consistency. This texture is achieved by mixing fruits, nuts, spices, and flour (just enough to bind the ingredients) with syrup and honey. The sugar and honey syrup, along with the addition of melted chocolate and cocoa powder, give this "Christmas brioche" a texture and flavor that are almost caramelized, making it hard to resist, even for those who normally don't like fruitcakes. This cake is also consumed today as a dessert outside the Christmas season, often paired with Vin Santo or a good espresso coffee. Unlike torrone, which is very popular in northern Italy, panforte is quite soft; it is distinguished from gingerbread by the fact that the ingredients are only coarsely chopped and baked without any leavening agent.