The modern little sister of the traditional fruit-filled cake has its own delicate charm.
Italian holiday traditions run deep. Traditional Christmas sweets like panettone and torrone date all the way back to the Middle Ages, when ingredients like dried fruit, nuts, and honey were so expensive that everyday Italians could only splurge and enjoy them once a year. But among all these time-honored foods stands a relative newcomer that’s quickly become as beloved as the rest: pandoro.
Having made its debut a mere 140 years ago, pandoro is the demure little sister to panettone’s rich, fruit -filled dome. Pandoro is a simple, yeast-raised cake enriched with butter, eggs, and vanilla and baked into a star-shaped tower. The fluffy, fragrant cake was patented in 1884 by Veronese baker Domenico Melegatti, who advertised it at the time as “a delicious new dessert, light, inalterable and beautifully shaped. The author deems it worthy of the first place, naming it Pan d’oro.” It was instantly successful, inspiring many competitors to try their own hand at making the “golden bread.”
But while it is a decidedly modern invention, pandoro has ancestors that span the centuries of Italian tradition, too. Its unique shape was modeled on the older Veronese cake nadalin, which dates back to the 13th century. Its eight-pointed shape is meant to represent the Christmas star that guided visitors to Bethlehem, and so it was enjoyed as part of Christmas celebrations for residents of the northern Italian city.
Today, pandoro is still the pride of Verona. Like panettone, it’s sold in beautifully decorated tins or boxes, and is so rich with eggs and butter that it can last several months after opening if stored correctly. To add a touch of drama to the simple cake, pandoro now comes packaged with an envelope of powdered sugar and a large plastic bag. It’s a fun family ritual to put the cake in the bag, dump in the sugar, and shake to coat it in a glorious snowfall of winter white. Like a winter snowfall on the Alps, the result is sweetly dusted peaks and crags, with a fluffy, tender golden crumb inside.
Pandoro’s more approachable flavor profile makes it an easy choice for the panettone-curious and those who aren’t thrilled by dried fruit. Many large families get one of each to have options for their afternoon cake break, since these rich cakes last all season long. Our Giadzy panettones and pandoros are made by the same fifth-generation bakers who use a natural leavening process and slow-rising dough to craft their artisan cakes in every flavor profile, from simple pandoro to decadent double chocolate. Now there’s a sweet taste of Italian tradition for everyone!
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