Castagnaccio is a traditional Italian Chestnut Cake made with simple pantry ingredients. Topped with raisins, rosemary, and – sometimes- pine nuts. It’s a very humble yet cozy fall dessert.
Use my grandpa’s family secret to get a super crispy bottom layer for extra deliciousness! And my trick for making it a little fancier? A dollop of whipped cream!
Castagnaccio or Italian Chestnut Cake
Hey loves, back with another family favorite (this one comes with a family hack)! I know you guys love authentic Italian recipes so I hope you’ll have something new to try with this one!
Castagnaccio is a traditional Italian Chestnut Cake made with very simple pantry staples and chestnut flour. It’s mildly sweet (not as sweet as brownies or choc chip cookies, to give you an idea) but with a very rich, dense texture.
Everything you’ll love about Castagnaccio
- Rich chestnut flavor with a deliciously dense texture, this dessert is very easy to make and humble looking but its rich chestnut flavor and texture will surprise you!
- Mildly sweet. This is the perfect dessert for when you’re craving something simple yet cozy and not as sweet as… say, brownies!
- Toppings. Castagnaccio is topped with a drizzle of olive oil and raisins (but you can also add in pine nuts and rosemary, if you want).
- Quick and easy. This dessert is ready in just 30 minutes and only calls for simple ingredients and no fancy equipment or skills are needed!
- Serving options. Serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream (okay okay, this isn’t traditional but I love it hehe sorry grandpa!) or a drizzle of chestnut honey!
Castagnaccio ingredients
Chestnut flour. The key to good castagnaccio is high-quality chestnut flour. This is what will make or break your castagnaccio so you want to make sure you’re getting a good quality one that will actually give your cake a rich chestnut flavor!
Any milk. Traditionally people used cow milk but you can easily make vegan castagnaccio by using your favorite plant-based milk. I tested both soy and oat milk and it turned out great both ways.
Water. Plain water.
Sugar. White granulated sugar.
Salt.
Olive oil. Please do not use any other type of oil, you want the flavor of olive oil for this cake. Make sure it’s high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for best flavor as some olive oils tend to be very strong and bitter.
Raisins. You want to used softened raisins so make sure you let them soak in hot water for a minute before adding them in.
Pinenuts and/or rosemary. Optional. Rosemary will add a pretty strong rosemary flavor to your cake, make sure it’s something you want in a mild dessert like this one because it will definitely stand out!
Breadcrumbs. This is a family secret but I’m sharing it with you because I think my grandpa would have definitely told everyone on the internet hehe. He added some breadcrumbs to the greased cake pan before pouring in the the batter. Once baked, his castagnaccio had the most delicious crispy bottom layer ever (which you won’t get if you omit the breadcrumbs). I highly recommend you try this tip because it made his castagnaccio SO damn good, it was my favorite part hehe.
How to make Castagnaccio
STEP ONE: Prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the chestnut flour, milk, water, sugar, olive oil, and salt.
STEP TWO: Add the breadcrumbs. Grease a non-stick cake pan with olive oil and dust with breadcrumbs. Be generous with the breadcrumbs, the more, the crispier! Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, top with raisins, pine nuts, and rosemary (if desired).
STEP THREE: Bake until set, don’t worry about any cracks, they happen and are part of this dessert! Enjoy warm. If you want to make it richer, serve along a drizzle of chestnut honey or whipped cream (whipped cream isn’t traditional but it’s so good!).
Can I make this ahead of time?
I recommend doing this the day of and enjoying it as soon as it comes out of the oven. You only need 30 minutes and one bowl, it doesn’t need much time or attention and is best eaten when it’s still hot and the bottom is still crispy (it will soften up over time).
How do you store Castagnaccio?
Store your castagnaccio in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week. This dessert has very simple ingredients and keeps pretty well at room temperature.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you'll love this Castagnaccio Recipe or Italian Chestnut Cake as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More authentic Italian recipes you’ll love:
Castagnaccio (Italian Chestnut Cake)
Ingredients
- 4 and 1/2 cups (400 g) chestnut flour
- 1 and 1/4 cup (310 ml) milk (traditionally cow but any plant-based milk will work. I recommend soy or oat milk)
- 3/4 cups (185 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil (plus more, for greasing the cake pan)
- 3 tbsp (20 g) breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup (40 g) raisins (soaked in hot water for a minute and drained, or to taste, for topping)
- Pine nuts and rosemary (optional, to taste, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the chestnut flour, milk, water, sugar, olive oil, and salt until combined and smooth. The batter will be very runny.
- Add the breadcrumbs for crispy bottom. Generously grease a 9-inch (23 cm) round non-stick cake pan with olive oil and dust with breadcrumbs. If you're not sure about the quality of your non-stick pan (this cake tends to stick to the pan), you may line the pan with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper with olive oil, and dust with breadcrumbs. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, top with raisins, pine nuts, and rosemary (if desired). You may also add an extra drizzle of olive oil on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Don't worry if it cracks: cracks happen and are part of this dessert! Enjoy warm. To make it fancier serve with a dollop of whipped cream and/or a drizzle of chestnut honey (optional).
Notes
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