Torta di Pane bakes into an alluring cake with a nutty bread pudding texture
Although Torta di Pane translates as “bread cake,” the round is really a baked bread pudding cake, which starts with a batter similar to bread pudding, without the milky quality. It bakes into a cake firm enough to be turned out but very tender inside. Torta di Pane originated in the Italian-speaking region of Ticino in southern Switzerland, though using stale bread in a pudding is as old as bread itself. This version comes from “Bread and How to Eat It” by Rick Easton and Melissa McCart, a book of wonderful ideas for what to do with a loaf after you’ve had your fill of toast. Easton is co-owner of the acclaimed Bread and Salt Bakery in Jersey City; McCart, his partner, is a food journalist.
The cake batter is made with stale bread cubes soaked in milk, then squeezed out and mixed with ground toasted almonds, citrus rind (orange is delightful), raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and lots of eggs. The top is sprinkled with whole skinned almonds but if you can't find them, you can also use sliced almonds, or unskinned whole almonds. The best pan is a 9-inch round that is 2-inches deep. Old-fashioned layer cake pans will not work here because they're not deep enough; the mixture is quite liquid, which doesn't suit a springform. Cool the cake in the pan, turn it out and set it right side up on a cake plate. Sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar and after you cut slices, see who can guess the main ingredient. Most will recognize the aroma and texture of ground nuts, and of course orange rind and cinnamon, but no one will pinpoint the bread cubes. A cake with ancient origins is still alluring today.