Pinza Veneta
Pinza Veneta is a dense, rustic cake made with polenta maize flour, dried figs, sultanas, and fennel seeds, traditionally baked across the Veneto countryside for Epiphany.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 320 kcal
Equipment
- •Medium saucepan
- •Whisk
- •24 cm springform cake tin
- •Baking parchment
- •Wooden spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- fat
- 8 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 320 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Soak the sultanas and chopped dried figs in warm water with the grappa for fifteen minutes.
- 2
Heat the milk and water with salt in a saucepan until gently steaming.
- 3
Whisk in the polenta maize flour in a steady stream to avoid lumps forming.
- 4
Simmer the polenta over low heat for ten minutes while stirring constantly until thick.
- 5
Stir in the butter and sugar until melted and smoothly combined.
- 6
Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly until warm to the touch.
- 7
Sift the plain flour and baking powder directly into the polenta mixture.
- 8
Fold in the drained dried fruit, fennel seeds, and grated orange zest with a wooden spoon.
- 9
Spread the dense batter evenly into a lined twenty-four-centimetre cake tin.
- 10
Bake at one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius for forty-five minutes until golden-brown and firm.
- 11
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into squares or wedges.
Chef's tips
Use fine maize flour rather than coarse bramata to achieve the characteristic dense, tender crumb. Do not omit the fennel seeds, as their subtle aniseed aroma defines authentic Venetian pinza. The cake improves significantly in texture and flavour after resting for twenty-four hours.
Ingredient substitutions
- grappa → dark rum or dry white wine, or warm apple juice for an alcohol-free version
- dried figs → dried prunes or chopped dried apples
Storage
Store wrapped tightly in parchment paper or in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to five days.
Reheating
Warm individual slices in a moderate oven at one hundred and sixty degrees Celsius for five minutes if desired.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Dumping the maize flour in all at once, which causes stubborn dry lumps to form in the polenta.
- •Cutting into the cake while piping hot, which makes it crumble instead of holding a clean slice.
- •Forgetting to soak the dried fruit, leaving tough and dry pockets inside the crumb.
Serving suggestions
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