Castagnaccio Ligure

Name: Castagnaccio Ligure
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Ligure
Ingredients: 300 g farina di castagne; 380 ml Water; 45 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil; 40 g pine nuts; 40 g Raisins; 1 tbsp Fresh rosemary; 2 g Fine sea salt

A traditional Ligurian flat cake made from sweet chestnut flour, studded with pine nuts, plump raisins, and fragrant fresh rosemary.

🇮🇹Italy· Liguria

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 275 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

300 g farina di castagne — sifted sweet chestnut flour
380 ml Water — cold tap water
45 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil — mild and delicate
40 g pine nuts — untoasted
40 g Raisins — soaked in warm water
1 tbsp Fresh rosemary — needles picked and left whole
2 g Fine sea salt — one small pinch

Equipment

•28 cm round shallow baking tin
•Fine-mesh sieve
•Balloon whisk
•Mixing bowl
•Small bowl

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 275 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 46 g
fibre: 6 g
protein: 4 g
calories: 275 kcal

Instructions

1
Soak the raisins in warm water for ten minutes until plump.
2
Sift the chestnut flour and salt into a wide mixing bowl.
3
Whisk in the cold water gradually to form a smooth, lump-free batter.
4
Whisk in two tablespoons of the olive oil until fully combined.
5
Drain and gently squeeze the soaked raisins dry.
6
Fold half of the pine nuts and raisins directly into the batter.
7
Oil a shallow baking tin generously with half of the remaining oil.
8
Pour the batter into the tin to form a thin, even layer.
9
Scatter the remaining pine nuts, raisins, and fresh rosemary across the surface.
10
Drizzle the top evenly with the remaining olive oil.
11
Bake at 190 degrees C for thirty-five minutes until dark brown and cracked.

Chef's tips

Always sift the chestnut flour thoroughly, as it compacts and clumps easily. Ensure the batter in the tin is no deeper than one centimetre to achieve the authentic dense texture with a cracked, glossy crust.

Ingredient substitutions

pine nuts → chopped raw walnuts
raisins → dried wild fennel seeds for an inland Ligurian herbal variation

Storage

Keep covered at room temperature in a dry place for up to three days.

Reheating

Enjoy at room temperature or warm in a low oven for five minutes before serving.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Using too small a tin, which makes the cake thick, soft, and gummy rather than dense and crackled.
•Skipping the sifting step, resulting in bitter pockets of dry flour in the finished cake.

Serving suggestions

Serve at room temperature cut into diamond-shaped slices.Pair with a spoonful of fresh prescinseua or fresh ricotta.Accompany with a small glass of sweet Ligurian Passito wine.