Torta Paesana with Amaretti Cookies and Dark Chocolate

Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli
Italian Cuisine Expert and Food Blogger
Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Expertise: Italian cuisine, Pasta, Pizza, Pastry, Dessert

Torta paesana is a delicious typical dessert from the Lecco, Monza, and Brianza areas of Lombardy, in the north of Italy. It is a humble dessert prepared with dried or fresh fruit, which is used to obtain a natural sweet flavor that is rich and inviting.

In times past, sugar was a rarity found only in the pantries of the upper classes. As a result, this cake contains very little white sugar, making it healthier than other desserts but just as delicious because of the sweetness from the other ingredients.

Today the torta paesana is mostly consumed as a dessert, but in the past it was sometimes eaten instead of a full meal. It was also often served on special occasions, such as holidays like Christmas and Easter, where it could be found on the tables of the masses.

I made this recipe for the first time years ago as it was one of the recipes included in the Nonna Box Lombardy Box. I was surprised by its simple yet delicious taste using stale bread and just a few ingredients.

Equipment

  • small saucepan for heating milk
  • zester or small grater for making grated orange zest
  • 2 medium bowls for mixing ingredients
  • wooden spoon for stirring
  • blender to crush cookies, not required (you can also crush by hand)
  • sieve or colander to drain the raisins
  • 10-inch cake pan to bake the torta paesana cake

Ingredients

For US measurements, look down in the recipe card.

  • Stale bread (300 grams) – also called day-old bread. I highly recommend white crusty bread that has been left out uncovered for several hours and is at least one day old, but could even be more. Always check your bread for signs of mold and do not use it if suspected.
  • Whole milk (1 liter) – whole milk is recommended, but you can substitute if you want to with 1 or 2 %, in which case you should add a little more bread.
  • Eggs (2 medium) – let the eggs sit out at room temperature for an hour before using and then beat them with a whisk or fork before adding to the cake batter.
  • Hard amaretti cookies (120 grams) – I happen to really love amaretti cookies and use them in all kinds of recipes. For this recipe, the hard store-bought cookies, which are often called Amaretti di Saronno, are the best.
  • Dark chocolate (100 grams) – use a good quality dark chocolate and melt it completely before adding to the mixture.
  • Granulated sugar (120 grams) – although not a part of the original recipe, I have found that the addition of a little sugar is important because modern preferences are for sweeter cakes.
  • Raisins (70 grams) – choose nice, plump raisins if you have them available. If you aren’t a raisin fan, you can leave them out or add another dried fruit such as cranberries or even candied orange peel that is chopped into small pieces.
  • Pine nuts (50 grams) – as pine nuts have gotten to be very expensive, you can substitute with another of your favorite nuts, perhaps chopped walnuts or almonds.
  • Orange (1) – you will need an organic orange as you will be using the zest so it is important that there are no pesticides or other chemicals on the peel. First carefully squeeze all the juice from the orange and remove any pulp and seeds and set the juice aside. Then grate the zest and set aside as well.

How to make torta paesana step-by-step

Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Bread and milk mixture: In a small saucepan, warm the milk slowly over a low flame until hot but without bringing it to a boil (photo 1). Cut the stale bread into little cubes and place in a bowl (photo 2).

Put the grated orange zest (grated ahead of time) into the bowl with the bread. Add the warm milk to the bread and orange zest and combine everything together with a wooden spoon (photo 3). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (photo 4) and then set aside to soak for 30 minutes, mixing occasionally.

Raisins and orange juice mixture: In another bowl, mix the raisins and orange juice (photo 5) that you squeeze ahead of time and set aside until later.

Prep and add additional ingredients to the bread: Grind the amaretti cookies into a powder, either with a blender or by placing them in a bag and crushing them by hand (photo 6). Add the ground amaretti to the bread mixture.

Melt and add the chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, double-boiler or microwave until liquid and stir into the bread mixture (photo 7).

Add the last ingredients and mix all together: Beat the eggs and add them to the bread mixture. Now add the sugar and pine nuts to the bread mixture and stir (photo 8).

Drain and add the raisins: Using a sieve or colander, drain the orange juice from the raisins and add the raisins to the mixture (photo 9). You can discard the orange juice.

Prep and bake the cake: Grease and flour a 10-inch cake pan and then pour the mixture into it evenly (photo 10). Be sure your oven has reached 350°F. Place the cake in the oven on the middle rack for roughly 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When finished, take the torta paesana out of the oven and leave it to cool. Remove the torta paesana carefully from the cake pan and serve on a cake plate.

Expert tips to try

  • Use day-old bread. stale bread works best for this recipe. When I see that bread is getting stale, I often put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer to use later for these types of recipes. You should defrost it ahead of time and then let it sit out so that it dries out properly before using. Of course, do not use bread that has any mold on it.
  • Use cocoa powder instead. If you don’t have dark chocolate, you can use 50 grams of cocoa powder instead as a substitute.

Try something different with these variations

There are multiple variations of this recipe, and some of the ingredients can be replaced with whatever you have in your pantry.

  • Skip the raisins. For instance, if you don’t like raisins, you can use other dried berries or even fresh fruit.
  • Substitute with different nuts. Pine nuts are pricey these days, but they can be replaced with other nuts, such as walnuts or almonds.
  • Add some zing. For a richer cake you can add a shot of your favorite liqueur, such as rum or amaretto, or a small amount of regular or decaf coffee. Both these additions will make your cake even more moist.

Try other easy cake desserts:

FAQs

How long will torta paesana last?

Torta paesana will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Can I freeze torta paesana?

I don’t recommend freezing torta paesana.

What if I don’t have stale bread to use?

If you don’t have any day-old bread to use, you can cut the fresh bread into little cubes and spread them out on a baking sheet and leave them for a few hours uncovered at room temperature.

Step by Step PhotosMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
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torta paesana with amaretti e cioccolato
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Torta paesana with amaretti and chocolate recipe

This traditional Italian cake made with amaretti cookies and dark chocolate is a delicious dessert full of simple ingredients you’ll find in the pantry of any home. The only exception to this is the amaretti cookies, but you should be able to find them at the local grocery store or Italian market.
Author:
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Equipment

  • 1 small saucepan for heating milk
  • 1 zester or small grater for making grated orange zest
  • 2 medium bowls for mixing ingredients
  • 1 Wooden spoon for stirring
  • 1 blender to crush cookies, not required (you can also crush by hand)
  • 1 sieve or colander to drain the raisins
  • 1 10-inch cake pan to bake the torta paesana cake

Ingredients 

  • 300 grams stale bread
  • 1 liter whole milk
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 120 grams hard amaretti cookies
  • 100 grams dark chocolate
  • 120 grams granulated sugar
  • 70 grams raisins
  • 50 grams pine nuts
  • zest and juice of one orange

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • In a small saucepan, warm the milk slowly over a low flame until heated through but without bringing it to a boil.
  • Cut the stale bread into little cubes and place in a bowl.
  • Add the pre-grated orange zest into the bowl with the bread.
  • Add the warm milk to the bread and combine everything together with a wooden spoon.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to soak for 30 minutes, mixing occasionally.
  • In another bowl, mix the raisins and orange juice (pre-squeezed) and set aside until later.
  • Grind the amaretti cookies into a powder, either with a blender or by placing them in a bag and crushing them by hand. Add the ground amaretti to the bread mixture.
  • Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, double-boiler or microwave until liquid and stir into the bread mixture.
  • Beat the eggs and add them to the bread mixture.
  • Now add the sugar and pine nuts to the bread mixture and stir.
  • Using a sieve or colander, drain the orange juice from the raisins and add the raisins to the mixture. You can discard the orange juice.
  • Grease and flour a 10-inch cake pan and then pour the mixture into it evenly.
  • Place it in the oven on the middle rack for roughly 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • When finished, take the torta paesana out of the oven and leave it to cool.
  • Remove the torta paesana from the cake pan and serve on a cake plate.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nonnabox or tag #nonnabox!

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