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Christmas For Members

Panettone or pandoro: Which is the best Italian Christmas cake?

Clare Speak
Clare Speak - [email protected]
Panettone or pandoro: Which is the best Italian Christmas cake?
Pandoro and panettone are both classic Italian Christmas desserts, but which do you prefer? File photo: AFP

If you think Italy's two most famous Christmas cakes are fairly similar, think again. What's the difference? Why are people in Italy so divided in the great cake debate? And which one, really, is the best?

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Both panettone and pandoro are well-known Italian Christmas cakes - though they're not just eaten on the day itself, but enjoyed throughout December and into January.

With their cute packaging, plus luxury or miniature versions available from many bakeries, they make a perfect gift for friends and family.

READ ALSO: The food and drink you need for an Italian Christmas feast

But you may want to check first whether the person you're giving the cake to is on team pandoro or team panettone, as many people in Italy have developed a strong preference for one or the other.

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This can become a serious dilemma in many Italian families, and the only acceptable solution, of course, is to buy one of each.

The two cakes can look pretty similar to the uninitiated - so what are the differences?

Panettone, originally made in Milan, has a distinctive dome-shaped top and traditionally contains citrus peel and raisins or candied fruit - though all kinds of variations are available, from chocolate to limoncello and cream. The dough contains yeast and is cured in a similar way to sourdough - it needs to be left rise three times before being baked. 

Pandoro, which originated in Verona, is taller and star-shaped. Pan d’oro means ‘golden bread’, and the vanilla-scented cake gets its yellow colour from the eggs in the batter. It's light, airy, and plain, and is usually dusted liberally with icing sugar before serving.

Panettone (top right) in an Italian bakery. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
 
When The Local asked readers on Twitter which they preferred, there were some very strong opinions from both sides voiced by Italians and non-Italians alike.
 
"Pandoro is just too bland for my tastes, maybe I've never found the right one. However, I'm curious why they are such an inconvenient shape - too tall for cake boxes & kitchen cupboards!" wrote George Young.
 
"Pandoro all the way!" said Sarah. "So light and fluffy. Panettone is just another stodgy fruitcake, every country has those and doesn't really eat them anymore."
 
 
People often ask which cake is really best and, while everyone would answer that question differently, we did conduct an unscientific Twitter poll to find out which is most popular.

Panettone came out the clear winner with 61.5 percent of the vote, while pandoro got 33.5 percent.

Five percent said they'd have something else, while several laid-back respondents commented that they'd happily eat either or both.

While you might expect the Milanese to be the biggest panettone fans, some (quietly) admitted that they actually prefer pandoro.

And residents of Verona reminded us not to forget about the nadalin, pandoro's "humble ancestor".

"The name means "little Christmas" in Veronese dialect. According to tradition, it was created in the 13th century to honour the Scaligeri, lords of Verona," tweeted the language teachers at My Italian Circle.
 

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The way you serve your chosen cake might make all the difference, however.

While some dessert lovers admitted to giving up on cutting slices out of their cakes and simply tearing off chunks with their hands, others described a more sophisticated approach.

Angelo Boccato recommended pandoro with the addition of Chantilly cream, while describing panettone as "significantly overrated".

Alice Mulhearn Williams said: "Pandoro is great with lemony mascarpone for dessert, but it doesn't have the versatility of panettone when it comes to leftovers...trifle, bread & butter pud, french toast, fried in butter and served with baked apples." 

However, think carefully before serving creative Christmas desserts to Italian guests. One Italian in London recalled numerous "artery-clogging pandoro tiramisu abominations" brought to New Years' Eve parties, which they described as "traumatic".

Though panettone and pandoro are by far the most famous, they're far from the only Christmas cakes you'll find in Italy.

If you'd like to try even more Italian desserts over the holidays, here's more on the most delicious Christmas cakes from around the country.

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Anonymous 2020/12/12 02:05
In my family, panettone was breakfast food. We would gild the lily with butter, and have it with coffee. I can’t imagine doing that with pandoro, which just seems weird to me. But the true Christmas dessert is strufoli. Did you only talk to people from the north? Strufoli is as good as it gets at Christmas.

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