Gino D’Acampo makes a chocolate panforte treat on Gino’s Italian Escape: A Taste of the Sun that captures the flavours of Siena.

Gino got his inspiration for the cake after he travelled through the spectacular and unmistakeable landscape of Tuscany.

As chef and tourist, he was eager to see the glorious, timeless city of Siena, with its famous sloping Piazza del Campo and its magnificent gothic duomo.

Siena is renowned for its panforte – a rich, spiced fruit and nut cake that originated in the area during the 13th century – that is reminiscent of a slightly hard Christmas cake. Gino decides to create his own recipe for a panforte using chocolate as a key ingredient, on a terrace overlooking the striking cathedral in the city.

The ingredients are: 250g good-quality dark chocolate, 3 medium egg whites, 50g candied peel, 200g ground almonds, 100g walnuts, crushed, 50g hazelnuts, crushed, 200g icing sugar, 4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur, 100g good-quality dark chocolate and 70g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting.