Castagnaccio (Tuscan Chestnut cake)

Castagnaccio is a traditional Tuscan cake born as a poor peasant dish thanks to its cheap main ingredients: chestnut flour and water. To give it more flavor it's then enriched with raisins, pine nuts, olive oil, and rosemary. I know it sounds like a savory dish, but you'll be surprised by its sweetness.

What is Castagnaccio?

You know it's really Autumn when Tuscan moms and grandmas start baking the Castagnaccio. Thanks to its super-easy recipe, every woman in Tuscany knows how to bake this sweet and savory chestnut cake. Even if they don't know how to cook anything else. So, it comes the time of year (late October and November) when every household eats Castagnaccio.

It's so quick and easy to make that I've rarely seen my mom or grandma making it. It just suddenly appeared on the table and everybody was so excited to eat it that it disappeared rather quickly as well.

In my family, the Castagnaccio is always in squares (or rectangles), not slices. So, I did this recipe in a 20x20cm (8x8") square baking pan. Although there are really no restrictions, so you can easily make it in a round pan of 22cm (8.6") diameter as well.

Chestnut Flour: How it's made and used

Chestnuts harvest is in October when they start falling from the trees. In this period, you'll find around the streets of some Italian cities, men selling roasted chestnuts in paper cones, called Caldarroste. When you walk around the city you'll immediately smell the amazing aroma from far away. It will attract you like a magnet to the small Caldarroste cart. 

Chestnut flour producers harvest the chestnuts and then dry them for about 20 days. After which they will toast them and grind them to get fresh chestnut flour, also called "farina dolce" (sweet flour).

In Tuscany, there are many chestnut trees and chestnut flour is therefore quite easy to find. Thanks to this we have a long tradition of chestnut cookies and cakes. The most famous one is the Castagnaccio - also called Baldino or Pattona in other parts of Tuscany. There are also different variations of this cake in other parts of Tuscany, with walnuts in place of pine nuts or with the addition of orange peel.

If you want another yummy recipe that uses chestnut flour, try these Chestnut cookies with Pumpkin jam.

Castagnaccio Storage and Reheating

Castagnaccio keeps well for a few days at room temperature in an airtight container, though it will firm up over time. If you plan to store it longer:

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
• Freezer: Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
• Reheating: Warm up a slice in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for about 5 minutes or microwave for 20 seconds to soften it up slightly, or enjoy room temperature

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes you might like

If you like this recipe, try also these other sweet recipes:

• Simple Italian Sugar Cookies
• Cenci, Carnival Fried Ribbons
• Roasted Rhubarb Oatmeal

If you tried this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and share your thoughts in the comments. Your feedback means a lot to me! ★★★★★

📖 RECIPE

Jessica Montanelli

"Castagnaccio", Tuscan Chestnut cake

5 from 2 votes

A super quick and easy traditional Tuscan cake made with just 5 ingredients.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

ServingsServings: 4 people

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x?

• ▢ 2 cups Chestnut Flour
• ▢ ⅓ cup Pine Nuts
• ▢ ¼ cup Raisins
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups (1+⅓ cups) Water
• ▢ Rosemary
• ▢ EVO Oil
• ▢ Pinch of Salt

Method

 

1. In a small bowl add the raisins and cover with warm water. Set aside and let them rehydrate for about 10 minutes.
2. Sift the chestnut flour in a large bowl, then slowly add the water while mixing with a whisk until you get a pancake batter consistency.
3. Add a pinch of salt, then transfer the batter in a well oiled baking pan. It should not be thicker than 1.5 cm (½ inch). Sprinkle on top the pine nuts, the drained (and squeezed) raisins and the rosemary needles.
4. As a finishing touch, drizzle on top with a little bit of olive oil.
5. Bake in pre-heated over at 180°C (350°F) for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake is firm and the surface is dry and cracked.
6. Let the Castagnaccio cool down and serve tepid or room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 317 kcalCarbohydrates: 101 gProtein: 6 gFat: 12 gSaturated Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 1 mgFiber: 12 gSugar: 15 g

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

CourseCourse: Dessert

CuisineCuisine: Italian

Notes

The Castagnaccio can be stored outside of the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.

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