Italian Christmas Cake Recipe

Fish meat cotechino and zampone are some of our favorite specialties but cakes and sweets remain queens of the italian christmas pantry.

Italian christmas cake recipe. The name is derived from the italian words pan d oro which mean golden bread. It is a classic for the area around milan in northern italy. The cake is neither bread nor yellow but a sweet extravaganza of chocolate and nuts. Christmas is a time for happiness joy and fun but also food italy has a long culinary tradition and several typical dishes find place on our table this time of the year.

1 cup milk. 3 egg yolks. The key ingredient for this christmas cake is pandoro a moist star shaped cake traditionally enjoyed by italians at christmas time. Anthony masterson getty.

1 cup sugar. I received this recipe from my mother in law after enjoying it every year for christmas and i have been making it myself for the past 10 years for my family. Preheat oven to 160 c. It took a century to perfect the veronese recipe from when it was first developed and the number one brand in italy is bauli.

This is my revised edition of this recipe. And in spite of the name it is more cake than bread and more brown than yellow. Like pandoro it s a tall cake that relies on yeast to raise the dough and it s a traditional christmas time cake. Serve as directed in the recipe.

3 1 2 cups all purpose flour. Beat butter sugars and vanilla in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. Combine chocolate nuts and orange peel in a large bowl. It will keep in the fridge for 2 days.

The so called yellow bread is a roman speciality not dissimilar to the tuscan panforte or panpepato from emilia romagna. Rightly called so for its dome shape and large size panettone is a staple christmas treat of italy that comes from the northern italian city of milan. Grease a 22cm diameter cake tin and line with baking paper. The cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Pangiallo is one of the most famous xmas cakes from italy. Panettone is the traditional christmas cake of milan and has become the most common christmas cake in italy. Hundreds of types of cakes. Next december try making your own panettone with a classic milanese recipe.

The tradition of the dolci di natale is long and varied. The lightly sweet dried fruit studded dessert keeps well much like fruit cake making it a popular gift when you make your own panettone you can flavor it however you like with your choice of fruit chocolate chips nuts and more. The actual translation of the evergreen italian scrumptious cake panettone is big loaf. 1 stick room temperature unsalted butter.

The soft warm slices of this popular italian christmas cake are best enjoyed when slathered in generous amounts of salty butter. This cake can be made ahead to the end of step 7.