Torta di pane

Bread cake is a traditional cake from the Ticino region of Switzerland. Its origin dates back to the Middle Ages, when the cake was made with stale bread, milk, eggs, sugar and sultanas. Today, the recipe has been enriched with the addition of macaroons, pine nuts and chocolate.

• Ingredients

• • 250 g stale bread
  • 100 g macaroons
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 7 dl milk
  • oil and flour for the cake tin
  • 100 g butter<
  • 150 g sugar
  • 75 g bitter cocoa
  • 100 g pine nuts
  • 100 g sultanas
  • 100 g candied orange peel
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cl schnapps
  • icing sugar for garnish

Here is the recipe for a delicious bread and pine nut cake:

The night before, cut the bread and macaroons into cubes and place them in a large bowl. Add salt. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and extract the seeds.
Heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds, then remove the pod and pour the milk over the bread mixture. Stir well, cover the bowl and let it rest overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line the cake tin with baking paper, then grease and flour the bottom. Melt the butter and let it cool.
Finely crush the bread mixture with a fork. Add the sugar, cocoa, half of the pine nuts, sultanas, candied orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Mix the butter well with the eggs and schnapps and incorporate the mixture into the bread mixture.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin.
Scatter the remaining pine nuts over the top of the cake and bake in the middle of the oven for 70-75 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the cake tin.
Before serving the cake, garnish it with a dusting of icing sugar.

Serve the Ticino bread cake warm or at room temperature, accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!