Panforte di Siena (Tuscan Fruit and Nut Cake)

Panforte di Siena is a Tuscan Christmas cake made with candied fruit, nuts, festive spices and dusted with powdered sugar. This dense and chewy fruitcake is such a delicious Christmas treat and perfecting for gifting! As soon as you bite into panforte it instantly tastes of Christmas, the combination of warming spices, candied fruit and nuts make the most delicious festive treat. Just like Ricciarelli (probably my fav Christmas cookie), this cake originated in Siena, Tuscany, and was originally named Panpepato due to the strong spices and pepper used. After living in Siena for 2 years we tasted a lot of panforte and there are so many variations, I loved seeing the displays of it in bakery windows all wrapped in beautiful paper for gifting. This recipe is super easy to make at home and lasts up to 3 weeks (possibly longer) so it’s perfect for wrapping up as a Christmas gift for your friends and family but trust me, you’ll want to keep some for yourself too it’s just too delicious to resist.