Certosino Cake
The certosino is Bologna's traditional Christmas dessert. It is an ancient, rich, and flavorful recipe passed to us since the Middle Ages. And still today, it smells of cocoa and good things.
Servings 6 serves
Equipment
- for 1 Certosino, round mold 24 cm diameter / for 2 small cakes, 2 round molds 12 cm diameter
Ingredients
- 50 g of mixed candied fruit, citron and orange you can choose only citron or only orange. Or omit them and make a chocolate Certosino
- 100 g of whole almonds without peel
- 20 g pine nuts or chopped walnuts
- 200 g of flour 00
- 30 g of bitter cocoa
- 5 g of baking powder or 8 g baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 g of mixed spices, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
- 130 g of plum jam or sweet mustard from Bologna
- 80 g of honey
- 100 ml of sweet white wine or fine Marsala wine
- 50 g of dark chocolate, finely chopped or chocolate drops
- To decorate:1) mixed candied fruit or dehydrated fruit to taste and almonds 2) honey to brush the surface
- Olive oil to grease the mold
Instructions
- Finely chop candied citron and orange and set aside.
- Toast almonds, then pine nuts, in a pan for one minute and set aside.
- Coarsely chop 50g almonds and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 160C degrees (320F)
- Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl (you can use your kneading machine)
- Add jam, honey, wine, and mix.
- Then, add chopped pine nuts, almonds, chocolate, and candied fruit to the mixture.
- Mix vigorously with a metal spoon or knead in the planetary mixer for a few minutes until the mixture is well blended.
- Grease the mold with olive oil, helping yourself with your fingers.
- Pour the mixture into the mold and decorate the surface with almonds and candied fruit by making a design as desired.
- Bake in a hot oven for about 40 minutes or until poking a wooden toothpick into the Certosino comes out dry.
- Melt a few tablespoons of honey in a small saucepan or microwave and brush the surface.
- When the cake is warm, gently remove it from the molds and let them rest for a few hours or overnight in a cool place.
- Once dry, or when the surface is not too sticky, wrap the Certosino in plastic wrap.
- Let rest in the cupboard for a month. Or at least 10-12 days before consuming or giving as gifts.
- The Certosino will keep fresh for 3 months in the pantry.