The 2021 Great British Bake Off winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno’s latest book is full of his favourite Italian sweet treatsTorta alle noci is one of my family’s winter favourites. It uses mostly store cupboard staples, so it is ideal to brighten up a cold and rainy afternoon. The flavour is unmistakable: walnuts are partly ground into the flour mix and also chopped into larger pieces to add a pleasant crunch.
The texture of this cake is pleasantly soft and crumbly: the plump, Marsalasoaked sultanas create an interesting contrast with the crunchy walnuts. The glazing sets to an unusual matt finish, so for a shiny look, coat the cake just before serving.
SERVES: UP TO 12
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
BAKING TIME: 35 minutes
For the sponge
- 100g sultanas or raisins
- 50g Marsala or other sweet wine
- 200g walnut pieces
- 180g double-zero or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 180g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 30g clear honey
- 40g Marsala wine
- 200g golden icing sugar
- 6 walnut halves, to decorate
2. Put the sultanas in a small microwave-safe bowl with the Marsala. Heat until just warm to the touch - 30 seconds should be enough. Stir, cover with a plate and set aside to soak.
3. Meanwhile, put half the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and baking powder and blitz until the mixture has the texture of fine sand. Set aside.
4. Roughly chop the remaining walnuts with a sharp knife into pea-sized pieces and set aside.
5. Put the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it - about 40 seconds should be enough. Set aside to cool.
6. Put the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl large enough to accommodate all the ingredients. Whisk at high speed with a handheld electric whisk (or use a stand mixer) for five minutes, until the mixture has doubled in volume and is pale and fluffy. Keep whisking and slowly trickle in the melted butter. Whisk for a further minute to incorporate it fully.
7. Add the walnut and flour mixture and the lemon zest to the bowl and fold them in with a spatula. Add the Marsala-soaked sultanas to the batter, followed by the chopped walnuts, and fold them in gently.
8. Pour the batter into the buttered and floured tin, level the surface with the spatula and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the deepest part of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to cool for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Meanwhile, make the coating. Put the honey and Marsala in a large microwave-safe bowl and heat it up for about 20 seconds. Add the icing sugar and stir until thoroughly mixed. Place the cake on its wire rack over a tray and pour the warm syrup slowly over the top of the cake, coating it completely.
Allow the excess to drip off into the tray below.
10. While the coating is still warm, arrange the walnut halves neatly around the cake top. Let the coating set, then transfer the cake to a serving plate.
Torta alle noci will keep for up to a week under a cake dome or in an airtight tin.
Giuseppe’s Easy Bakes: Sweet Italian Treats by Giuseppe Dell’Anno is published by Quadrille, price £24
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