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Many sweet recipes with nuts

17/11/2023

Nuts are versatile and lend themselves to multiple sweet recipes, both in Italian and international cooking. In this case, I propose a classic Italian recipe: a Nut Cake, which combines various types of nuts for a rich and flavorful result.

Ingredients

  • 150g of all-purpose flour
  • 100g of sugar
  • 100g of soft butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 sachet of baking powder for sweets
  • 100g of coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 100g of peeled and chopped almonds
  • 50g of chopped hazelnuts
  • 50g of pine nuts
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
  • Icing sugar for garnish (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the soft butter with sugar until you get a frothy mixture.
  3. Separate the yolks from the whites and add the yolks to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well.
  4. Incorporate the sifted flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Mix until you get a homogeneous dough.
  5. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and gently fold them into the mixture to avoid deflating them.
  6. Add the walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pine nuts to the dough and mix with movements from the bottom up to blend everything together.
  7. Pour the mixture into a previously buttered and floured cake pan.
  8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  9. Let the cake cool before unmolding it, and if you wish, dust with icing sugar before serving.

Trivia

Recipes with nuts have ancient roots, often linked to peasant traditions and the need to preserve food. Nuts were appreciated for their nutritional properties and their ability to stay fresh for long periods, making them the protagonists of many festive sweets, especially during the Christmas period.

Cakes with nuts were and still are a way to celebrate special occasions, ensuring taste and nourishment. In Italy, each region has its variant of sweet with nuts: from Siena’s Panforte to Tuscan Cantucci, to the Walnut Cake of Southern Italy.