We have come across hundreds of recipes in our research that use up breadcrumbs. In fact, I might just write 1,000 recipes for breadcrumbs one day! However, I hadn’t seen them used in cakes before. What a good idea! This recipe is based on one from Pina, the mother of Gregorio, the Sicilian head chef of our restaurant in Bray. It isn’t suitable for hard, dry bread, more the slightly past-their-best soft white or brown interiors of a crusty loaf. To make the breadcrumbs, simply whizz in a food processor. The original recipe uses only walnuts, but we were inspired by the dark, grainy chocolate of Modica and the shot of espresso that rounds off every meal in Italy.