Chestnut Cake [Castagnaccio]

This cake has no leavening agents; it's a sweet flatbread.

Ingredients:
2 ounces raisins
16 ounces sweet chestnut flour
2 T sugar
zest of 1/2 orange
pinch of salt
2 cups water
3 T olive oil, plus more for pan
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves picked
1 ounce chopped walnuts
1 ounce pine nuts

Preparing the chestnut cake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the raisins in a bowl of warmed water to soften for 20 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the chestnut flour. Add sugar, orange zest, and pinch of salt, mix well and then gently start adding the water to the mix.

Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mixture well making sure to eliminate any lumps, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil, and half of the raisins and mix again.

Lightly oil an 11-inch pie plate with 2-inch sides with olive oil and pour in the batter it should be no more than 1/3-inch thick. Sprinkle the cake with rosemary leaves, the remaining softened raisins, walnuts, and pine nuts. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top and bake for about 40 minutes.

Serves 6