This was my first
Castagnaccio, chestnut flour cake.
I still had some chestnut flour after making the delicious
cherry chestnut loaf cake. While I was searching more recipes that use chestnut flour, I came across
Castagnaccio many times as if it was the almost only cake made with chestnut flour. That made me feel I couldn't skip trying the Tuscan traditional cake if I am a chestnut lover. I compared several recipes with each other and made mine in a simple traditional way - just chestnut flour, water, olive oil, pine nuts, walnuts, raisins and fresh rosemary - no milk, sugar, yeast, or chocolate.
The cake had a unique texture. While it was warm, the cake was light and chewy. When it cooled down, more dense and somehow dry. I generally like chewy sweets, so I didn't mind. I liked the cake slightly warm, topped with honey and ricotta cheese. The cake was naturally sweet from chestnut flour, raisin and nuts, while it was nice to add honey's floral flavor along with its sweetness. Interestingly J said adding orange or some citrus would be nice. In fact I have seen some
Castagnaccio recipes that add orange zest. Yes, J has a great sense of taste!
