Antonella’s panforte

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 20 cm cake tin with baking parchment and sprinkle a little flour over it. Put a little extra flour on a small plate and set aside.
2. Get a heavy-bottomed glass jar ready. Put the almonds on a baking tray and roast them for 5 minutes until they start to darken in colour and the skins start to crack. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
3. Put the sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and honey into a saucepan and place over a medium–high heat for 5–7 minutes until the mixture reaches 105°C on a sugar thermometer, or until the mixture is gently bubbling. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, including the toasted almonds, and stir for 3 minutes. It will be tough to stir but it is important to warm up the flour, so keep stirring until the time is up. Spoon the mixture into the lined tin.
4. Dip the bottom of the glass jar into the flour on the plate and use it to bash the mixture down and flatten it into the tin. Do this quickly before it sets. Transfer the panforte to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.
5. When cool, remove the panforte from the tin and peel off the baking parchment. Combine the ingredients for the spice rub in a bowl. Scatter it over the panforte to coat it evenly on both sides. It will keep if dry and covered at room temperature for a couple of weeks. Serve in small slices as it is very rich.