Castagnaccio (Tuscan Chestnut Cake) Recipe

Castagnaccio is a traditional Tuscan recipe that is typically made each fall. It's usually associated with Lucca and the rest of Tuscany, but similar autumnal chestnut cakes are also made in other Italian regions such as Ligura, the Piemonte, Veneto, Lombardia, and Emilia-Romagna, in Switzerland, and on the French island of Corsica.

It is a dense, flat, unleavened cake and it is a somewhat unusual dish in that it's a dessert, but not a very sweet one, and made with ingredients—such as olive oil and rosemary—that are more likely associated with savory dishes. It might be better described as a "semisweet flatbread," though that doesn't quite nail it down either.

It's very nutritious and simple to make, so give it a try and see how you like it! It's great served after a hearty fall meal with a glass of vin santo, nocino, or any other sweet dessert wine. It would make a unique and seasonally appropriate addition to a fall holiday dinner table, and since it just happens to be vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free, a great alternative dessert for those with dietary restrictions.

To make it a bit more dessert-like, you can also add cocoa powder and increase the sugar a bit, or omit the rosemary. Since, like most traditional Italian dishes, there are endless variations on the recipe, feel free to experiment and add and omit ingredients according to your own personal taste. Some ideas of variations are given below the recipe.

It's important to use fresh and high-quality chestnut flour. If you are unable to find chestnut flour, it's surprisingly simple to make your own from roasted chestnuts, if you have a food processor or mill.

Oven-Roasted Chestnuts Recipe