Sienese spiced fruit and nut cake (Panforte di Siena)

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C; line the base and sides of a 22 cm springform tin with baking paper and lay a wafer sheet on the base (cut to fit).

2. Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a dry frying pan or in the oven for 8-10 minutes, rub the brown skins off the hazelnuts in a tea towel, then chop both roughly.

3. In a large bowl, mix the nuts with the candied fruit, flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

4. In a saucepan, bring the honey and sugar to the boil over low heat and cook for about 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened (a drop in cold water forms a soft ball).

5. Immediately pour the hot syrup over the dry ingredients and mix quickly and vigorously - the mixture will be very sticky and dense; press it into the tin with wet hands or a wet spoon, level it and bake for 30-35 minutes.

6. Let it cool completely in the tin, then remove, dust generously with icing sugar (you can mix in a little cinnamon) and cut into thin slices.

Tip: A medieval Christmas sweet from Siena, the pride of the spice merchants' city; wrapped in paper and kept dry, it lasts for weeks, and a small slice goes wonderfully with coffee or tea - you can skip the wafer, but then flour the baking paper well.