Italian Torta Mantovana Cake with Candied Fruit and Honey
A delicate, golden cake from Mantua, Italy, made with a blend of almonds and polenta for a tender crumb studded with jewel-like candied fruit. Bound together with honey and butter, this cake is less sweet than most modern cakes and showcases the subtle nuttiness of toasted almonds. Perfect for afternoon tea or a simple dessert.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Wait
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Makes
- 1 cake (8-10 slices)
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and position rack in the center
- Bring eggs to room temperature—this ensures even mixing
- Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper
- Roughly chop candied fruit into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces if not already diced
Prepare wet ingredients
- Gently warm the honey and butter together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is fully melted and the honey is warm, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- Do not boil.
- Pour into a medium bowl and let cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in the room-temperature eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and lemon zest, then whisk until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
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Ready when: Egg mixture is pale, smooth, and falls in ribbons from the whisk
Tip: Warming the honey and butter helps them blend smoothly with eggs without scrambling them. Cool it just enough so the eggs won't cook.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- This distributes the leavening agent throughout the dry ingredients for even rise.
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Ready when: Dry mixture is uniform with no lumps of baking powder visible
Tip: Sifting or whisking the dry ingredients prevents dense pockets in the final cake.
Fold in dry ingredients
- Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, fold gently until just combined.
- Work from the bottom of the bowl, folding up and over, rotating the bowl as you go.
- Stop as soon as no white streaks of dry mixture remain—do not overmix or the cake will be tough.
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Ready when: Batter is smooth and uniform with no visible streaks of dry ingredients
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and toughens the tender almond-polenta crumb. Fold gently until just combined.
Add candied fruit
- Gently fold the chopped candied fruit into the batter in two additions, folding just until evenly distributed.
- The fruit should be scattered throughout without clumping.
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Ready when: Candied fruit is evenly distributed throughout the batter
Tip: Tossing candied fruit in a bit of almond flour before folding in helps prevent it from sinking to the bottom during baking.
Pour and smooth batter
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch (23 cm) round pan.
- Using a spatula, gently smooth the surface until level.
- The batter should fill the pan about two-thirds full, allowing room for gentle rise.
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Ready when: Batter is level and fills the pan to about 2/3 capacity
Tip: Do not tap the pan on the counter, as this can trap large air bubbles.
Bake cakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place the pan in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached—it should not be completely dry.
- The top should be golden brown and spring back lightly when pressed.
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Ready when: Toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs; top is golden and springs back when lightly pressed
Tip: Every oven bakes differently—start checking at 40 minutes to avoid overbaking, which dries out this delicate cake.
Cool in pan
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- During this time, the cake will set enough to turn out without breaking but will still be warm enough to release cleanly from the pan.
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Ready when: Cake is warm to the touch but has pulled slightly away from the sides of the pan
Tip: Turning out too early can cause the cake to split; waiting too long makes it stick.
Turn out and cool completely
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it.
- Invert it onto a wire rack, gently peel away the parchment paper, and let it cool completely to room temperature, about 30-45 minutes.
- The cake will be delicate while warm, so handle gently.
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Ready when: Cake is at room temperature and is firm enough to handle without breaking
Tip: Cooling completely ensures the crumb sets properly and the cake slices cleanly.
Good to know
Tips
- This is a moist cake that improves with age—the candied fruit softens and flavors deepen after 24 hours.
- Use mild honey; strong honey (like buckwheat) will overpower the delicate almond and candied fruit notes.
- If your candied fruit is very sugar-coated, rinse it briefly under warm water and pat dry to reduce excessive sweetness.
- Serve thin slices with a cup of strong tea or espresso; the cake's subtle sweetness pairs beautifully with bitter beverages.
Make ahead
The cake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. The flavors actually meld and improve slightly after a day.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature (uncovered, in a cool place): up to 4 days. Refrigerator (covered): up to 5 days. Freezer (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in an airtight container): up to 2 months. To reheat, let frozen cake thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours. No reheating needed; serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Substitutions
- mild honey such as acacia or wildflower → light agave nectar or light corn syrup. Use equal weight; agave will make a slightly less flavorful cake, but the texture will be nearly identical.
- almond flour (ground blanched almonds) → blanched almond flour mixed with 2 tablespoons (15 g) ground toasted hazelnuts. Hazelnut adds richness similar to traditional Mantuan variations; reduce almond flour to 1.25 cups (125 g).
- mixed candied fruit (orange peel, citron, cherry) → 1 cup (150 g) golden raisins soaked in warm brandy or water for 15 minutes, drained, plus 0.5 cup (75 g) diced fresh pear or apple. Fresh fruit adds moisture and slight tartness; omit the soaking step if using fresh fruit only.
- polenta (cornmeal), finely ground → finely ground yellow cornmeal or 0.25 cup (25 g) almond flour mixed with 0.25 cup (50 g) cornmeal. Cornmeal gives similar grittiness; pure almond flour makes a denser cake without polenta's structure.
