Winter is coming, so the season of jingle bells is. Yes, your Christmas vacations are coming near. What are you planning for this festival season? I mean what are you cooking expected traditional stuff like roasted turkey and Christmas cookies? Don’t settle with everything traditional when you have countless options to cook. Christmas is among the most celebrated festivals all around the world. How about trying something traditional from the recipes of Italy. Italian food has a distinctive recognition because of its cooking process and appetizing flavors. Whether it is a sweet cake or salty pizza, Italian flavors will always surprise you with a unique twist. The main secret of fantastic Italian flavors is the baking process that involves almost every recipe. How can you forget the traditional cakes when it comes to baking? A cake is the primary requirement of every Christmas Eve, so let’s make it special with an Italian touch. All you need is a perfect recipe that we are going to mention below.

Traditional Italian pandoro Cake recipe 

In Italy, Pandoro represents the Italian tradition of Christmas because of its distinctive vertical star shape. The recipe of Pandoro was originated from the northern Italian region & spread all around Europe. It is a lightweight & fluffy cake that has a golden texture from inside. Many local bakeries & online stores sell it commercially but trying at home is a different experience. We are explaining the entire process in simple steps for your ease. 

Ingredients 

  1. 300 grams of all-purpose flour (divide into 3 cups)
  2. 120 grams of sugar crystals (divide into 2 cups)
  3. 5 egg yolks (divided)
  4. 200 grams of unsalted butter
  5. 20 grams of active yeast 
  6. 30 grams of powdered sugar 
  7. Half cup of cream 
  8. 1 egg 
  9. 1 lemon zest 
  10. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Apart from these ingredients, you will need 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter & all-purpose flour each for mold. 

Also Read:- 4 Kinds of Italian Cakes That Italy Prepares During Christmas

Complete process to prepare Pandoro cake 

Servings:- 6

Preparation & cooking time:- 2 hours

Rest time:- 8-9 hours

  1. Take a large bowl & add ⅓ rd cup of flour, one tablespoon of sugar, one egg yolk, yeast & water to make a soft dough. Allow this dough to rest for the next 2 hours to rise properly. 
  2. Spread 1 ⅓  cup of flour and ¼ the cup of sugar on the working slab place your dough on it. Add three tablespoons of unsalted butter & 3 egg yolks. Knead the entire mixture including dry & risen flour to make a dough. 
  3. Again cover it with a cloth and set aside to rise for the next 2 hours. Spread the remaining flour, sugar & eggs including whole & yolk. Knead the entire mixture thoroughly with the previously risen dough & let it rest for the next 2 hours. 
  4. Spread some flour on the slab, pour vanilla extract & lemon zest. Knead them to obtain a creamy texture & keep aside. 
  5. Spread the large dough on your slab with a rolling pin & distribute the remaining butter over it thoroughly. Fold this sheet and spread again after the interval of 30 minutes twice. 
  6. Spread the small dough inside your cake mold and fill the large dough in it more than half. Allow it to rise from the next 20 minutes in a hot place. 
  7. Pre-heat your oven at 200 degrees C and place the mold in it. After closing the chamber, reduce its temperature to 180 C for the next 30 minutes. 
  8. Take out the cake from its mold and allow it to cool down on a rack. Sprinkle some powdered sugar before serving. Your delicious Italian Christmas cake is ready to serve. 

This is a long process but not difficult. All you need is adequate time to let it rest for adequate hours as mentioned in the recipe above. You just need proper ingredients & keep patients according to the recipe instructions. The only thing that makes it different from Italian panettone cake is simply with perfection because you don’t need to add any kind of fruit for flavoring.