Pandoro, a Decadent Christmas Cake

Christmas is almost everyone's favorite holiday. It certainly is mine! Beyond the spiritual significance of the occasion, I believe the great appeal of Christmas is its joyful vibe, its spirit of sharing, and its wealth of sweet delicacies.

Typical Christmas desserts vary from one culture to the other, but they all tend to be rich and decadent. 'Tis the season to be jolly... not to worry about the waistline, right? We shall practice self-discipline in the days to follow, but for now let's make a heavenly dessert that hails from the land of a million and one culinary delicacies: Italy.

Pandoro is the typical Christmas dessert of Italy and is pretty similar to the more famous Panettone. These days, you don't have to travel far to get either of these cakes as they are readily available in major supermarkets and good pastry shops. But what if I told you that you can make pandoro at home and it is not as complicated as you might think? Tempting, right?

A bit of history before we tackle the recipe. The origin of pandoro is disputed, but many agree that it originated in the city of Verona. In the past, wealthy Venetian families would decorate the cake with golden leaves, which may account for its name. Luckily, you won't need any expensive ingredient to make this light-as-air cake at home.

The cake does not call for bizzare or exotic ingredients, but it does require some patience, so make sure you're well-stocked in that department. Just follow the steps presented in the recipe below and you'll be rewarded for a cake fit for Christmas or any other celebration.

Please note that the cake requires the preparation of three types of dough. The process is simple, but like I said before, it requires some patience.

(I adopted the recipe from this blog.  I used the same ingredients but reduced the amount of sugar and added 2 extra flavorings to the dough).

All ingredients:

• 450 strong bread flower (at least 13% protein)
• 105 g sugar
• 170 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 60 g lukewarm water or milk
• 10 g milk
• 18 fresh yeast
• seeds of half vanilla bean
• zest of half lemon
• 1 tsp dark rum (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• butter to grease the mold

For the preferment:

Mix the egg yolk, 60 g lukewarm water or milk, 15 g yeast, 10 g of sugar and 50 g of flour. Once combined, cover and let it double in volume, which should take an hour to an hour and a half. 

1st dough:

• 200 g flour
• 25 g sugar
• 3 g yeast
• 30 g  butter
• 1 egg
• the preferment
• 5 g milk

To a mixing bowl, add the preferment, sugar, yeast, milk and egg, and mix with hook attachment on low speed until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Slowly add the flour and keep mixing until the dough is smooth (5 to 10 min) then add the butter and mix again for another 5 minutes. Cover and let it double in size again. The time will depend on the room and dough temperature, so start checking after an hour.

2nd dough:

• 200 g flour
• 2 eggs
• 70 g sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Vanilla
• Orange zest
• 1 tsp rum
• the 1st dough 
• 5 g of milk

Whisk the eggs with milk and rum. Add the vanilla, salt, zest to the first dough. Now add the egg mixture and start mixing again on low speed.
Start adding the flour slowly and keep mixing for at least 15 minutes. You should get a strong and slightly sticky dough.
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a greased bowl and let it double in size again. Once it doubles in volume, you need to let the dough rest overnight in the fridge (8 to 12 hours of resting). 

The lamination:

• The fermented dough 
• 140 g of  butter

The lamination process consists of incorporating a substantial amount of butter into the rested dough. You can add the butter as one block or as smaller pieces, but the process is the same.

Work the dough with a rolling pin until you get a square of about 30 cm.  Arrange the butter in the middle, fold the corners then roll into a rectangle about 40 to 45 cm long. Fold the bottom to the middle then the top to the middle, like a letter, then rotate 90 degrees, cover and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. (The recipe link has pictures that can help you understand the process better).

Roll again into a rectangle with the seams facing you. Fold again and repeat the process three times resting the dough 15 minutes in the fridge between each fold. When you roll for the last time, let the dough rest on your counter for 15 min. Grease your hands and form the dough into a ball and carefully place in the mold with the seam facing up. Now you need to let the dough rise until it reaches the top of the mold.

Preheat the oven to 170 C and prepare it so it has enough space to account for the rising dough.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 160 C and keep baking for another 30 to 40 minutes. If the top is browning quickly cover it with aluminium foil. To make sure the pandoro is cooked insert a skewer if it comes clean then the cake is done. The cake's internal temperature should be around 90 C, so if you have a suitable thermometer, you can use it to check the cake's readiness.

Let the pandoro rest 5 minutes in the mold then flip it on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

You can enjoy this brioche like delicacy as it is or you can get creative and serve it with jam, sweet sauces and more.

Buon Natale everyone.

Torta Caprese Bianca al Limone

Traveling is a great source of renewal and inspiration. If it was possible, I would spend my days traveling and exploring new cultures and the flavors they cherish the most.

Italy is one of my favorite destinations. The food culture there, like the architecture, the nature and the people is vibrant, colorful, and simply amazing. I can never tire of the sights and smells of Italy.

Few weeks ago, I went on a short trip to Naples, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. What a stunner of a region it is!

Capri, an island off the coast of Naples, is a treasure trove of breathtaking sights and enchanting citrus scents. I am no Italy expert, but if you ever plan on visiting this Mediterranean country, Capri should rank pretty high on your list of to visit regions.

Capri is famous for its Torta Caprese, which is an almond-based cake with a moist and a crumbly texture. It dates back to the start of the 20th century, and if you read about its origins you will come across various stories. Irrespective of how it started, the cake is now widely consumed by tourists in Capri and the South of Italy be it in its chocolate (cioccolota) or lemon (limone) variations. Both versions have chocolate but the bianca or white version uses white chocolate.  You can't go with either variation of this delicate almond-based cake, but the lemon flavor won my vote.

If I managed to spike your interest in this famous Italian dessert and you want to bring the bright flavors of Capri to your home, this is what you need to do.  (Note, recipe adapted from here).

Ingredients:

• 165 g almond flour (I made mine. I soaked the almonds in hot water for few minutes, then in cold water, spread them over a towel to dry then processed them)
• 100 g fine sugar
• 40 g corn flour
• 3 g baking powder
• 130 g grated white chocolate
• zest of 2 organic and unwaxed lemons 
• 30 g olive oil
• 35 g melted butter
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tbsp limoncello 
• dash of salt

Method:

In a bowl, mix the almond flour with the sugar, chocolate, salt, baking powder, lemon zest and corn flour.

In another bowl combine the eggs with the limoncello (you can substitute with the same amount of lemon juice) and beat until the batter doubles in volume and becomes pale. Fold in gently the butter and the oil then add the mixture to the flour and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased pan, covered with parchment paper, and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven (175C).

Keep in mind that the baking time will vary from one oven to another, the pan size and material. You want the cake to be fully baked but not dry and with a nice brown color. Inset a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, your cake is done. 

The cake batter is rather liquid and during baking the edges may cook faster than the center. To have an even bake, you can use baking strips. Azlin Bloor made this cake and explains how you can prepare homemade baking strips. Her recipe yields a cake with a different texture as the amount of ingredients and method are somewhat different. Nonetheless, both recipes will deliver a scrumptious cake! 

Once baked, leave the cake to cool almost completely before removing it from the pan, then put on a a wire rack to cool completely.

You can serve the cake as it is, but  you can decorate with a dusting of powdered sugar and few fresh fruits to elevate its looks.

All you have to do now is to serve yourself a slice of this torta and enjoy the flavors of sunny Southern Italy.