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Castagnaccio, Vegan, gluten and sugar free chestnut flour cake


First of all I have to inform you that I was raised on chestnuts, and chestnut flour. We made many things with the flour, mostly fritters (you can find the recipe here) and castagnaccio. There are so many versions of castagnaccio, the main being just chestnut flour and water, with a pinch of salt (optional) and a sprig of rosemary on the top. The best thing is that chestnut flour is naturally sweet, and that you just need water to mix it, making it the perfect low fat (chestnuts are the only low fat nuts) high protein, gluten free and vegan treat!


I mixed chestnut flour with enough water to make a batter, and this time I added 2 tbsp of cocoa (cocoa also go well with chestnuts) and a very small pinch of salt. No sugar needed. Pour the batter into a large baking pan lined with baking paper and bake everything at 180°C until the cake is ready (about 20 minutes, check with a toothpick). Let it cool down before serving. Unfortunately I forgot to take the photo on the first day, so this was the morning after and the top of the castagnaccio had cracked like a dry desert... but it was still great for breakfast :-).



Photos and Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Comments

  1. wildcraft divaMay 8, 2012 at 5:34 PM

    I must make this for my daughter, she's "ghiotta" for anything with chestnuts in it and this seems easy enough for me! Thankyou for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lory B.May 8, 2012 at 8:08 PM

    Ciao Alessandra!!!!!!!
    Adoro il castagnaccio, in autunno lo preparo spesso. Proverò sicuramente la tua ricetta!!
    Finalmente qui da noi è arrivata la primavera, l'inverno è stato lungo.. interminabile!!
    Un bacio grande e a presto!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. DamianaMay 8, 2012 at 11:20 PM

    Ciao Alessandra,bentrovata!Ho visto molte ricette interessanti e questa versione del castagnaccio mi piace molto,leggera e soprattutto senza zucchero.Complimenti per tutto,un abbraccio e a presto!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Priya SureshMay 9, 2012 at 12:13 AM

    Cake looks absolutely divine..Fantastic bake.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 9, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    Oh this cake looks and sounds wonderful - love the chestnut flour! also love your blog - signed up to follow and looking forward to more!
    mary x

    ReplyDelete

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