Castagnaccio with orange juice

Castagnaccio with orange juice

I have a confession to make: I hate castagnaccio!
I’ve always thought it tasted like cardboard… not that desirable! But this is a traditional cake from Tuscany and it is the quintessence of cakes for people suffering from celiac disease like my dad. As I did not like it, I made a few adds, like sugar and orange juice… purists will certainly argue about that but I think it is supertasty, so why not!?
It is also quite simple to make and bake, so let’s go.
Ingredients are:
250 grams of chestnuts flour
5 tbs brown sugar (it is about 50 grams)
1 tbs candiade orange zest
20 gr pine nuts
20 gr raisin
10 gr nuts
15 gr EVO oil
300 ml water (room temperature)
100 ml orange juice
1 pinch of salt
Rosemary to decorate
Soak to soften th raisin and the put the pint nuts into a non stock pan to toast them. As soon as they start to exude the oils turn the heat off and let them cool down.
Take a bowl and sifts the chestnut flour into it, then pour the water in and then the orange juice, and stir well to prevent lumps. Then add the sugar, the oil and a pinch pof salt.
Whisk well until it reaches a batter-like consistency.
Then add the pine nuts, the raisin and the candied orange zest.
Put the batter into a greased baking tray (about 18 cm diameter), decorate it with the nuts, some other pine nuts and rosemary, and then into the convection oven, preheated at 180 degrees and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Check the cake with a toothpick (start some 10 minutes before the baking time is due) as every oven bakes differently.
The flavours of chestnuts and orange are so good together and they’ll surprise you!
It’s the perfect vegan and glutenfree cake!

Banana bread

Banana bread

This recipe comes directly from Canada , and I thank Lorena for the tip.
I have developed a sort of aversion for cakes based on bananas, but I must say this recipe satisfied me, at last!
Besides it’s ridiculously easy and it is a good alternative for breakfast. The ingredients are few:
3 ripe bananas
76 gr melted butter
292 gr flour
220 gr brown sugar
cinammon and nutmeg (to your taste)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 teaspoon baking powder

Put in a bow the squashed bananas (it’s also good to calm your nerves!), the sugar and the butter. Whisk well then add the egg, the vanilla and the baking powder. then add the cinammon and the nutmeg to your taste (I don’t like nutmeg, I just used cinammon, one teaspoon approximately). Whisk again and then incorporate the flour little by little.
Pur the dough in a baking pan covered with greaseproof paper and bake from 45 minutes to an hour approximately. Check well using a toothpick, as the baking times depends on how moist the bananas are (this time it took more than an hour, after 45 minutes the dough was still partially raw).

If you want to try this recipe, send me the pic of your final result in the comments below.