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    Home » Italian Desserts » Italian Cakes

    Italian Stale Bread Chocolate Cake

    Published: Feb 20, 2017 · Modified: Mar 2, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Italian Stale Bread Chocolate cake is made with a few simple ingredients and low fat. It's perfect for a healthy breakfast or for a tasty snack.

    You have some stale bread and you don't know what to do with it? There are really many ways to reuse leftover bread and not waste it!

    For example you can let it harden and then make the bread crumbs useful for breading or for gratin dishes (for example Veal Cutlet Milaneseor<ahref="https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/tomato-gratin-recipe/">Tomato Gratin).

    Or you can soften it with water or milk and add it to vegetables or meat to make meatballs or stuffings, or to prepare the famous tuscan Pappa al Pomodoroor to make some delicious bruschette.

    Chocolate Bread Cake

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Italian Stale Bread Chocolate Cake Recipe: Instructions
    • Italian Stale Bread Chocolate Cake: History

    But, if you have a sweet tooth, Chocolate Bread Cake is certainly the most delicious and tastiest way to use stale bread. Let check the recipe now!

    See also:

    • Tuscan Chestnut Pancakes | Necci Recipe
    • Chocolate Salami | Salame di Cioccolato
    • Tuscan Grape Focaccia Recipe | Schiacciata con l’Uva
    • Chocolate Pear Cake 
    • Italian Chocolate Cake

    Ingredients

    • Prep Time: 30 Min
    • Cook Time: 50 Min
    • Servings: 8

    • 350 g (12 oz) of stale bread
    • 120 g (~½ cup) of granulated sugar
    • 1 liter (~4 cups) of milk
    • 2 eggs
    • 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder 
    • icing sugar for decoration

    Italian Stale Bread Chocolate Cake Recipe: Instructions

    bread cake coll 123

    Step 1) - Are you ready to start making Italian stale bread Chocolate Cake? Good! So first thing first break 350 g (12 oz) of stale bread into pieces. In the Italian traditional recipe, the pieces of bread must not be very small to give the cake more rustic appearance, but if you prefer a more creamy and refined mixture, you can grind the stale bread finely. Pour 1 liter (~4 cups) of milk and let the bread absorbs it completely until it becomes soft. Stir occasionally, mixing the bread with milk. It will take about 20 minutes.

    bread cake coll 456

    Step 2) - When the bread has absorbed all the milk, add 2 eggs, then 120 g (~½ cup) of granulated sugar and finally 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir everything very well, combining the ingredients.

    bread cake coll 789

    Step 3) - Pour the mixture of bread and chocolate in a baking dish (about 22 cm/9 inch in diameter) covered with baking paper. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 50 minutes. Let it cool and serve topped with icing sugar. You can enrich Chocolate Bread Cake with other ingredients such as, amaretti, dried or fresh fruit, raisins, candied fruit, depending on your taste. After adding cocoa powder, add the ingredients you prefer.

    Italian Stale Bread Chocolate Cake: History

    Italian stale bread chocolate cake is a recipe of ancient tradition, especially in Brianza, an area of Lombardy.

    This cake dates back to the past when, after wars or difficult times, bread was a precious thing not to be wasted. Especially the peasants had the available ingredients, such as eggs and flour, to make this cake. A cake of the humble, but rich in flavor and hearty.

    The first recipes for stale bread chocolate cake did not contain sugar. Sugar was very expensive and not readily available in times of famine. To sweeten the cake, they used both fresh fruit (apples and pears) and dried fruit (walnuts, pine nuts and raisins).

    More Italian Cakes

    • apricot cake recipe with fresh apricots
      Italian Apricot Cake Recipe (with Fresh Apricots)
    • Sweet Italian Easter Bread
      Treccia di Pasqua (Sweet Italian Easter Bread)
    • ciaramicola cake recipe
      Ciaramicola: Traditional Italian Easter Cake from Perugia
    • Crostata di mandorle
      Crostata di Mandorle (Italian Almond Tart)
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    Comments

    1. D says

      October 12, 2021 at 4:43 am

      I just tried this recipe, intending to make half the quantity as I didn't have enough breadcrumbs. Then I found more breadcrumbs but in a senior moment went ahead and mixed the cake with the full quantity of breadcrumbs - actually about 11 oz, and some chopped almonds to make the weight - but half of everything else! (With slightly less sugar and more cocoa powder). It is still delicious. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    2. John Taylor says

      August 17, 2020 at 7:27 pm

      I think that it is important to distinguish between stale and dry bread. Stale bread is not dry bread, and can be quite moist and will not soak up the milk as well old dry bread. So the weight measure will depend on what type of bread you are using. I tried this with half the amount of milk and break and used hot chocolate powder (2 Tbsp) and 2 Tbsp sugar, and two eggs and it was great, except that I left it in the oven too long and the tips of pieces of bread on the top got dried and hard.

      Reply
    3. sharon says

      May 03, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      I made this cake. It's a great way to use up stolen bread ha ha. It was great it went down well in this corona virus times. Now in my bookmark I did add chopped almonds and chopped dried apricots.

      Reply
    4. Doris says

      January 11, 2019 at 1:28 pm

      I love the not so sweet taste and the rubbery texture.

      Please note: "stale", not "steal" bread.

      🙂

      Reply
      • Barbara Lucchini says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:00 pm

        Ahahahahahah thank you Doris! Please don't steal the bread to make this recipe... 😀

        Reply

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    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

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