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Recipes
May 2022

Torta di Pane al Cioccolato

By Francesco Vincenzi
Torta di Pane al Cioccolato on textured marble background
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua

This crumbly chocolate-studded cake is the best use for stale bread and forgotten cookies that we can think of. Developed initially by chef Francesco Vincenzi for the food-insecurity-fighting efforts of the Refettorio Ghirlandia community kitchen, this recipe swaps out the flour or almond meal you’d expect in a cake for pulverized dried bread. Chopped cookies (Vincenzi uses Italian amaretti, but any dry wafer-like cookie works well here) and chocolate are then folded into the batter, which is flavored with anise-infused cream. Of course, if you don’t have stale bread, you can still make this cake: Just bake your fresh slices in a 250° oven until crisp and parched, about 20 minutes.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 servings

Ingredients

¾

cup (or more) heavy cream

4

star anise pods

2

tsp. aniseed (optional)

Nonstick vegetable oil spray or unsalted butter, room temperature (for pan)

4

½"-thick slices dried-out sourdough or country-style bread

2

large eggs, room temperature

⅓

cup (67 g) sugar

½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

1

tsp. baking powder

3

oz. amaretti biscuits or Nilla wafers, coarsely chopped

3

oz. bittersweet chocolate (60%–70% cocoa), coarsely chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips

Whipped cream and cocoa powder (for serving; optional)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring cream, star anise, and aniseed (if using) to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

    Step 2

    Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring glass, pressing on solids to extract as much cream as possible; discard solids. Add more cream if needed to bring the amount back up to ¾ cup.

    Step 3

    Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Line bottom of an 8"-diameter cake pan with a parchment paper round; spray sides of pan with nonstick spray or lightly coat with butter. Pulse or blend bread in a food processor or blender until finely ground.

    Step 4

    Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With motor running, gradually add cream. Once cream is combined, add finely ground bread and baking powder; mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold in biscuits and chocolate. Scrape batter into prepared pan and rap pan on counter.

    Step 5

    Bake cake until golden and top springs back when lightly pressed, 25–30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and unmold. Let cool completely. (You can also eat the torta warm while the chocolate is still in molten pools or chill and crumble it into a cup of yogurt or milk.)

    Step 6

    Peel parchment paper away from cake; discard. Place cake, right side up, on a platter. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder if desired. 

    Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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