Chartreux de Bologna: the recipe for a festive dessert with candied fruit and chocolate

He Carthusian monk of Bolognaor spiced bread, is a sweet typical bolognese traditionally prepared for Christmas celebrations. It is a low cake, dark in color, due to the presence of chocolate, and rounded in shape, whose surface, decorated with slivered almonds and candied fruit of all kinds, vaguely reminiscent of the stained glass windows of church rose windows.

To bring it to the table, we start with a dough without eggs, soft and compact, made from flour, bitter cocoa powder, dark chocolate, fig jam, almonds, pine nuts, honeyed warm and candied, flavored with cinnamon and a drop of marsala. Then we put everything in the oven, in a mold 24 cm in diameter, then we move on to the final decoration with the ingredients indicated.

The result will be a delicious and spicy dessert, ideal to serve at the end of a meal for a special occasion, or to enjoy at to taste with a hot infusion. Custom dictates that the Certosino be cooked with 2-3 weeks of advance compared to Christmas Day, to allow time for the flavors and aromas to marry better; but it is so good that it will be hard to resist and enjoy it sliced, freshly cooked, in the company of the whole family.

What we know about this recipe today filed with the chamber of commerce of the city is that it was already preparing for the Middle Ages. However, the origin of the name is less certain: according to some sources, it derives from the Carthusian monks, delegates in the past to the preparation of the cake, according to others the term pan speziale is rather to be attributed to the apothecaries, the pharmacists of the time who took care of the aromas intended for the creation of the dessert. Finally, another theory affirms, more simply, that the name means pan spzieldialectal form to indicate, in fact, a special bread.

Find out how to prepare Certosino di Bologna by following the step-by-step procedure and advice. If you liked this recipe, also try the noodle cake.

How to prepare Bologna Certosino

Melt the honey for a few moments on the heat, then add the diced candied fruit 1.

Mix well with a spoon and turn off the heat 2.

Next, mix the sifted flour in a bowl with the bitter cocoa powder, ammonia and cinnamon 3.

Add the coarsely chopped dark chocolate with a knife and mix gently 4.

Also add the almonds and pine nuts 5.

Marsala flavors 6.

Pour honey with candied fruit and fig jam 7.

Mix everything with a spatula, until you obtain a compact and homogeneous mixture. 8.

Distribute the compound obtained in a mold 24 cm in diameter 9well buttered and floured.

Decorate the surface with candied fruit and slivered almonds tenand put in the oven at 160°C for about 50 minutes.

Once the cooking time has elapsed, remove the entremets from the oven and let it cool for a few hours on a wire rack; then arrange it on a serving platter 11cut it into slices and serve.

storage room

Certosino di Bologna can be stored at room temperature, under a candy hood, for approx. 1 month.