This traditional stale bread cake is called Torta Paesana and has a dense and moist soft texture.

Nowadays, some also add crumbled Amaretti biscuits or even candied fruit or pine nuts. If you have orange peel or grate some, it will add a fabulous flavour and aroma.

Another version of it: stale-bread-cake/

Serves: 4 – (fills a Ø24 cm cake tin), Preparation 30 mins, Cooking approx 50 mins

  • 1 litre of whole milk
  • about 300 g stale bread
  • Optional: 100 g of Amaretti biscuits or any dry biscuits
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 30 g raisins
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 120 g caster sugar
  • Optional, a handful of candied fruit or grated orange zest
  • 50 g pine nuts
  • Unsalted Butter, a knob
  • Breadcrumbs, to taste

 

Method

Soak the raisins in lukewarm water about 20 minutes, then squeeze. Set aside.
Cut the stale bread into small pieces.

Heat the milk nearly to the boil, remove from the heat and add the stale bread pieces, it should be reduced to mush. Add sifted cocoa powder, sugar, mix until thick and leave to rest 20 minutes. Once cooled, add the beaten egg, raisins, pine nuts by keeping some aside for topping.

Preheat the oven to 180° C / 350 F / Gas 4.

Grease a cake tin and lightly sprinkle it with breadcrumbs.

Pour the mixture inside and level it with a spatula or the back of a spoon, sprinkle a handful of caster sugar and a few pine nuts.

Bake in a preheated, static oven for about 50 minutes. Once cooked, leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.

How to store Torta Paesana?

You can store it at room temperature covered with a plate, it will last about 4-5 days.

 

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