Castagnaccio (Tuscan Chestnut Cake)

Castagnaccio is a traditional autumn cake from Tuscany, made with chestnut flour, olive oil, rosemary, and pine nuts. It's rustic, naturally gluten-free, there is no added sugar but it's still sweet, and it beautifully captures the flavours of the Tuscan countryside.

Ingredients (serves 12, roughly 290 kcal per serving):

• 500gr chestnut flour

• 650gr water

• 100gr walnut kernels

• 100gr pine nuts

• 80gr sultanas (or raisins)

• 1 big sprig of fresh rosemary

• 1 tsp of fine salt

• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (fan)

• Rinse the sultanas in cold water, then let them soak in cold water for 10 mins (up to 1 hour)

• Keep aside for decorations a handful of walnuts and a handful of pine nuts

• Coarsely chop the walnuts but leave the pine nuts whole

• Tip the chestnut flour in a big bowl and gradually add the water while mixing all the time

• Use an immersion food processor and blitz until it's nice and smooth

• Drain the sultanas and reserve a handful

• Add the majority of the sultanas to the mix

• Add the nuts (excluding those for decorations) and the salt and mix very well

• Line a deep baking tin (22cm or so in diameter) with baking paper

• Use the olive oil to coat the baking paper quite well, sides included

• Rinse the rosemary sprig, then separate the needles from the stalk

• Pour the mix into the tin

• Scatter the reserved nuts and sultanas all over the surface

• Scatter the rosemary needles over the surface

• Drizzle the mixture lightly with olive oil

• Put the Castagnaccio on the middle shelf of the oven and reduce the temperature to 195 degrees C

• Bake for 40 mins

• After 40 mins, do the usual wooden skewer test: put it in the middle of the cake down to the bottom and take it out: if it's wet or has some batter on it, it needs more cooking (but if you followed the above I'd be quite surprised if it needs more than an additional 2-3 mins)

• NOTE: The top crust should be quite hard and crackled

• Let the cake reach room temperature in the baking tin

• Flip it out of the tin, remove the baking paper, and flip it out again onto your serving dish.

TIP: In Tuscany it's customary to eat this at room temperature together with a good spoonful of fresh ricotta cheese