This Befana Cake recipe is inspired by the Venetian traditions of Pinza Cake which contain cornmeal, dried fruit, fennel seeds and Grappa. Before ovens, it was wrapped in leaves of cabbage and cooked under the hearth! I kept the traditional elements of cornmeal (so the cake would be golden as the sun) the “fruits of the earth” (currants, candied ginger & orange peel) and the wild fennel seeds for their sunny aromatic spice. But instead of flour, I chose a rustic almond flour (there will be far too much processed white flour this holiday season!) so be warned this is a dense cake! You could substitute regular flour instead of the almond flour – same amount. I also used honey in place of sugar ( just over half a cup) and tossed in some dried apricots for their bright colour. You could also toss in a few cranberries. Normally the recipe calls for a splash of Grappa (a tartish brandy) but I had none, so in went my rosehip brandy instead.

La Befana Cake (Gather Style)

Ingredients:

•  1 & 1/4 cup cornmeal or polenta
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (little extra or sprinkling on top) or 1/2 cup of honey
•  1/3 cup softened butter
•  3 & 1/2 cups of milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest
• 2 tablespoons currants or raisins
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons candied orange peels (chopped)
•  1 & 1/2 tablespoons minced candied ginger
•  2 tablespoons dried apricots (finely chopped) or cranberries
• 3/4 cup diced fresh apple
• 1/4 cup of Grappa (or brandy)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of anise seeds
• Teaspoon or so of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of almond flakes for garnish

Directions:

• Put all the candied fruit, raisins, ginger, apricots in a bowl, pour over the brandy and allow to soften for an hour.
• Bring the milk to a boil with a pinch of salt. Once you have reached the boil, pour in the almond flour and polenta, slowly, mixing well with a whisk, so that it does not form lumps. Reduce heat to low, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 10-12 minutes. The mixture should be soft and non-gritty so add more milk if necessary. It will be thick.
• Remove from heat, then add the butter in chunks, the diced apple, brown sugar, brandy-soaked dried fruit, fennel and anise seeds.
• Mix well, then pour the mixture into a pre-greased round springboard cake tin (8 -9 inch). Level it, sprinkle the surface generously with brown sugar. Cook at 350 F for about 50-55 minutes, a beautiful golden-brown crust should form on the surface. If you used honey you may need an additional 7-10 minutes but don’t overbake as it will firm up and set once cool. Let sit overnight so flavours can intermingle and deepen!

https://gathervictoria.com/2018/12/18/la-befana-cake-honouring-the-old-witch-of-winter/