Bustrengo is San Marino's Christmas cake and one of the oldest sweets of the hills around it, baked in Sammarinese homes and in the Romagna provinces of Rimini and Forlì Cesena. It was born of thrift: stale bread, a little cornmeal and flour, milk, honey and whatever the pantry offered in winter, dried figs, raisins, apples, a few nuts and the zest of an orange. Every family's version is different, and the San Marino version is known for its use of stale bread.

It is dense and moist rather than light, more like a bread pudding that has been to finishing school, and it keeps for days. Although it belongs to Christmas, it travels beautifully to a spring race weekend, cut into squares with a small coffee alongside.

The cake

Ingredients

• 7 oz (200 g) stale crusty white bread
• 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (60 g) raisins
• 4 dried figs
• 1/2 cup (90 g) fine cornmeal
• 1/2 cup (65 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/4 cup (85 g) honey
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil or melted butter
• 2 apples
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup (40 g) walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1. Heat the milk in the saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Put the bread in the large bowl, pour the hot milk over, add the raisins and figs, and leave for 30 minutes, pressing the bread down now and then.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment and grease the paper.
3. Mash the soaked bread with the whisk or a fork until it is a rough, thick paste, with the fruit still whole.
4. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, honey, eggs, oil, grated apples, both zests, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Stir well with the wooden spoon.
5. Scrape into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar. Bake 55 to 65 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan on the rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out. It firms up as it cools.

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