Everyone loves to eat cake, and they are the inevitable part of celebrations, whether it’s birthday or Christmas it cannot be complete without it.
Christmas celebrations involve making traditional cakes all around the globe one of the cakes which are made traditionally is our panettone cake. This cake is known to have a light, airy texture and rich buttery taste that is not very sweet. The term panettone in Italian panettone cake literally translates to ‘ big loaf’ which is a large dome-shaped cake which is leavened with yeast, and the thick slices of these soft, warm Italian cake panettone slathered in salty butter treat to enjoy during Christmas celebration. You can also get panettone cake online or make yourself here is the recipe for you:
Ingredients for Dough
- 1 1/2 tbs dry yeast
- 5 ounces warm milk, three tbs for glazing
- 1\2 cup fine sugar
- 4 cups strong bread flour
- One tbs salt
- Six eggs
- 10 ounces of unsalted butter
- 1-ounce blanched almonds
Ingredients for Filling
- 1 1\2 cups of dry fruits (currants, raisins, cranberries, dried cherries)
- 1\2 cup of lemon and orange peel
- 2 ounces Glace or candied cherries of 1/4 size
- 6 tbs Cointreau, fruit juice or wine.
Steps for Making Italian Panettone Cake
First, we have to prepare the fruit filling involved in the recipe.
- Start by gathering all fruits
- Put all dried candied fruits into a bowl and mix evenly.
- Then pour into the Cointreau and mix thoroughly, cover it. Put aside in a cool place or soak overnight, just don’t refrigerate it.
Preparing Dough
- In a bowl put the yeast and 5 ounces of warm milk and sugar stir in and leave it for 5 minutes.
- Now tip the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Add in salt and then pour in the frothy mixture but at one side, don’t mix it with salt as it will kill the yeast making your bread hard and heavy.
- Mix all the ingredients slowly, break the eggs and add it, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix it until the dough is smooth and sticky enough.
- Increase the speed of the mixer and add in the bite-sized chunks of softened butter but not all at once mix in a small
- Run the mixture at least for 10 minutes, till the dough turns glossy, smoother and softer, which requires consistency of dough.
- Now grease a tin or bowl with butter and then put in the mixture in it slowly, don’t force it out just let the dough move by its weight, it will help aeration in the dough which is good for the cake to rise properly.
- Scrape out any leftover dough with a soft spatula. Now cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap and put it into the fridge or cool place This will make the dough rise a bit and fill with bubbles of air.
Making the Italian Cake Panettone
- On a work surface area dusted with flour put the dough and spread it out carefully with fingertips. Don’t handle the dough with the heavy hand you will end up making it hard.
- Strain soaked fruits and put half the quantity on to the dough uniformly.
- Fold the dough over fruits and lightly roll the dough around for even distribution of dry fruits.
- Again, spread the dough and repeat the process with the rest of the fruits.
- The dough will become lumpy, however, roll it over again if fruits are clustered at one place.
- Form the dough in a rough shaped ball and then grease a 7-inch panettone tin or cake tin with butter uniformly.
- Then drop the dough into the centre of the tin, tuck blanched almonds into the surface of the cake and cover loosely with muslin cloths.
- Put in a warm place for 3 hours to rise; it should rise above the rim of the tin.
- Preheat the oven at 350 F.
- Mix egg with milk and whisk it and brush over the cake.
- Cook in the oven for 20 minutes then change the temperature to 300 F and bake for another 40 minutes, and your panettone is ready if your skewer comes out clean.
- Keep it aside to cool then take it out and just binge and get lost in his flavors.
- If you don’t want to make it, feel free for panettone to buy online and enjoy.
