Castagnaccio – Tuscan Chestnut Cake – Vegan

I discovered that chestnut flour is a thing. Somehow I never thought that such a thing existed 😀

But apparently it exists and is very popular in some regions of Italy, where there are different kinds of food and desserts that incorporate it.

So I decided to try it and after some research, I chose to make Castagnaccio.

Chestnuts have a high caloric content (193 Kcal per 100 g) and are rich in B vitamins, carbohydrates and mineral salts such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, calcium, chlorine and iron.

It’s a dense, flat cake and it’s an unusual dish – it’s a dessert, but not a very sweet one, although it’s made with ingredients – such as olive oil, pine nuts and rosemary – that most often are associated with salty foods. It could be better described as a “semi-sweet bread”, although that doesn’t seem to be the correct description either. It was a totally new taste for me, it took me a few bites to realise all its subtleties and layers of taste.

This tart is very nutritious and easy to make, so I advise you to try it and see how you like it! It is a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free dessert, with a really small amount of added sugar (you can skip it completely if you want), making it an excellent alternative for those with dietary restrictions.

Topped with ricotta or mascarpone mixed with honey, serve it in small pieces (vegan/vegetarian version, only with honey or agave/maple syrup). Don’t eat big pieces, the taste is very consistent and strong, and it can be a bit too much, especially if you haven’t eaten before ☺️

Ingredients: (~14-16 servings – for a 22 cm diameter pan)

• 200 g chestnut flour
• ~220 ml warm water
• 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 50 g of nuts (I had pecans; you can also use walnuts)
• 50 g raisins
• a little vanilla essence
• 40 g pine nuts
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• ~8-10 g vanilla sugar
• a pinch of salt
• honey (or agave/maple syrup) and ricotta (or mascarpone) – for serving

Preparation:

Put the raisins in warm water for 10 minutes together with the vanilla essence.

When 10 minutes have passed, drain them well.

Put the flour, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well with a whisk.

Add water and oil and mix until homogeneous. If your dough is not soft enough (it should have a pancake-like consistency but thicker), add a little more water.

Then add half of the amount of pine nuts, half of the amount of walnuts that you chopped coarsely with a knife and well-drained raisins and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Prepare a tray with baking paper and transfer the dough. On top, decorate with the rest of the pine buds, the rest of the nuts and rosemary leaves.

Heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and bake it for about 40 minutes or until you notice small cracks appearing on the surface of the tart.

It is definitely a unique “sweet”, which is worth trying. Serve the pieces warm or cold, together with ricotta mixed with honey.

If you try the recipe, let me know how you liked it! 💜

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