Panforte (Betti & Sinatti)

A specialty of Siena, in the southern-most part of Tuscany, Panforte is a flat, dense, round cake, made with honey, hazelnuts, almonds, candied citron, citrus peel, cocoa, and spices. It contains a very small amount of flour, just enough to hold the cake together. After baking, Panforte becomes hard and chewy. Panforte Margherita is the traditional Panforte, as described above. Panforte Nero is coated with a spice rub mix of clove, cinnamon, cocoa, and black pepper. Panforte Fiorito has a thick layer of almond paste on the outside of the cake.