At my recent Christmas Classes I was thrilled to demonstrate how I make my Siena cakes. Since then I have had requests to post this recipe so that others can access it too.
I first came across this recipe in a Women’s Weekly Italian Cookbook which was first printed in the 1970’s. Since then I have adapted it quite a bit, but the basic process is still the same.
I have tried to make the honey syrup in the Thermomix but I don’t feel I can get the temperature high enough to achieve the outcome that I need. So I make this the conventional way which is something that I love to do too.
Timing is so important when making the Siena … once you add the chocolate and honey syrup to the fruit/nut/flour mix you need to work quickly. Ensure you have a bowl of water handy to put your hands into when you can no longer get your wooden spoon through the mix (a wooden spoon is better than metal … so much easier on your hands), as you will need to use a bit of “elbow grease” to continue to mix the ingredients until they are fully combined … and your hands are best for this (in my view).
This recipe will make one large Siena in a 26cm or 24cm (base measurement) round spring form tin, or 4 small x 12cm (base measurement) round flan tins. When I first bought my small flan tins from Bakers Secret some years ago, they were sold in packets of four as “15cm flan tins”. But now they are sold in packets of four as “12cm flan tins” … the size is unchanged, but the actual base measurement of the flan tin is 12cm so hence the change in signage. I only mention this as I have always told people to use 15cm flan tins but I don’t believe they are called that these days. You can however use whatever size tins you like to either make them smaller (i.e. 8), or medium (i.e. 2) from each mix. Just adjust cooking times slightly to accommodate the change in size.
Siena cakes will keep well for a few months in a sealed container in a cool spot. I usually cut each cake into the slices that I want, and then store it in a container in the fridge ready to eat. When refrigerated they become quite hard and chewy, which I love, but I always cut them first before refrigerating.
- 500g dry roasted mixed nuts – use any combination you like. I use 100g each almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts and walnuts
- 500g mixed dry fruit – use any combination you like. I use 100g each currants, natural sultanas, seeded raisins, figs and apricots (trim hard top off figs, and then cut figs and apricots into pieces)
- 200g spelt flour (or plain flour)
- 4 tbls cocoa powder (I use Dutch cocoa powder)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 180g dark chocolate, melted
- 130g golden caster sugar, or sugar of choice
- 340g honey
- Line the base of a 26cm or 24cm (base measurement) spring form tin with baking paper, and grease the sides well with coconut oil or light olive oil
- If using small 12cm flan tins, grease and line with baking paper (with the smaller tins I allow the baking paper go over the sides a little to help lift out the cooked Siena)
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees fan forced
- Place the nuts and the fruit into a large bowl
- Sift the flour, cocoa and cinnamon into the bowl with the nuts and fruit and stir through … push the mix to one side so there is room to pour the melted chocolate and hot honey/sugar mixture in … it is easier to mix these in from the side, going "up and under" with your spoon rather than pouring these two items on top and then trying to stir them in
- Put sugar and honey into a small saucepan and heat over a high temp, stirring every now and then until the sugar is dissolved (I use the “simmer” hot plate on my range so that once I reduce the heat to “low” I know it won’t be too high a temp)
- Once sugar is dissolved, stop stirring, and as soon as the mixture comes to a rolling boil reduce heat to the lowest simmer for five minutes (use your timer)
- Whilst the sugar and honey is cooking, melt the chocolate … I do this in the microwave for convenience
- Add the chocolate to the fruit and nut mixture just before you add the hot sugar and honey mixture (pour both of these into the space you have created to the side of the mixture in the bowl)
- Working quickly stir all the ingredients together with your wooden spoon until you can no longer get your spoon through the mix
- Using a thin scraper and your hands that you dip in water, work the mix around your mixing bowl ensuring all the ingredients are incorporated and no more flour is visible
- Scrape the mixture into the large baking tin
- Dip your hands in water again and push the mixture into the tin and flatten the surface lightly
- NB: If making small cakes, still push the mixture into the large tin (no need to line the tin, but make sure you grease it well first with light olive oil so you can get the mixture out), then unclip the sides, cut mixture into four even pieces with your thin spatula, and with wet hands lift each piece, shape into a rough round, and press into your smaller containers getting the mix right to the edges (I usually weight each tin once the mix is in, and before I spread out with my fingers, to ensure I have an relatively even distribution of mixture, but that process is optional)
- Bake 1 hour for large cake, and 35 minutes for small cakes (you can fit four small onto one baking tray)
- Remove from oven and place tin onto cooling rack for an hour or so, then remove cake from container (leaving the baking paper on the bottom) and place directly onto cooling rack to get completely cold
- Once cold, store in a freezer bag in a cool spot until ready to cut
- If making small Siena, pack four, one on top of the other – still with the baking paper on the base – into a freezer bag until ready to cut
- Leave for a few days before cutting
This recipe will make one large Siena in a 26cm or 24cm (base measurement) round spring form tin, or 4 small x 12cm (base measurement) round flan tins.
When I first bought my small flan tins from Bakers Secret some years ago, they were sold in packets of four as “15cm flan tins”. But now they are sold in packets of four as “12cm flan tins” … the size is unchanged, but the actual base measurement of the flan tin is 12cm so hence the change in signage. I only mention this as I have always told people to use 15cm flan tins but I don’t believe they are called that these days. You can however use whatever size tins you like to either make them smaller (i.e. 8), or medium (i.e. 2) from each mix. Just adjust cooking times slightly to accommodate the change in size.
Siena cake will keep well for a few months in a sealed container in a cool spot. I usually cut the cake into the slices that I want, and then store it in a container in the fridge ready to eat. When refrigerated they become quite hard and chewy, which I love, but I always cut them first before refrigerating.
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