Pandoro is a soaring star-shaped cake with a delicious golden brioche-like center and a lovely vanilla butter aroma. It even comes boxed with a packet of confectioners’ sugar to sprinkle on top, to enhance its festive, Christmas-tree appearance. Italy sets many strict rules for its production, including the use of only natural yeast, farm fresh eggs, and no less than 20% butter. In the USA, real estate agents suggest creating homey fragrances in the kitchens of homes for sale: apples simmered with cinnamon or chocolate chip cookies baking. In Italy, realtors suggest setting pandoro on the radiator to release its intoxicating aroma and entice buyers.
Pandoro: History
Pandoro’s origins date to the Renaissance, a time when chefs dusted foods with real gold dust or thin sheets of gold leaf for their wealthy clients to serve at their lavish banquets. In the 15th century, Venetian bakers topped cone-shaped cakes with gold, calling them pan de oro, “bread of gold.” From those luxurious roots, pandoro’s history moves into Verona in the early 19th century and meets with the area’s traditional Christmas cake, nadalin. Nadalin, a flat cake with rounded points, represents the comet that guided the Magi to Bethlehem and is the inspiration for the shape and height of the modern pandoro. In the late 1800s, the Kingdom of Italy granted a 3-year license to pastry chef Domenico Melegatti to produce a tall, star-shaped cake called “pandoro,” which he trademarked in 1894. Nowadays, the true gold of the past may be gone, but pandoro’s golden color remains, thanks to the rich egg yolks in the recipe.
Today, Verona is the undisputed capital of pandoro and home to one of Italy’s largest makers, the Bauli company. Verona is also the city where Shakespeare placed his star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Walk along the charming streets of Verona during the Christmas season and you’ll see pretty violet and pink boxes of pandoro displayed throughout the town in all kinds of unlikely shop windows, including bookstores, clothing emporiums, and gift boutiques. Were the delicate colors of the package chosen in honor of Juliet? Actually, no. Bauli’s founder, Ruggero Bauli, had three older sons working in different parts of the business, two in production and one as a lawyer. Out of fairness, he assigned to his only daughter, then just a youngster, the critical task of deciding pandoro’s package colors.
Pandoro is sold in a distinctive lampshade-shaped box that Italian children love to play with once the cake has been eaten. These sturdy boxes are recycled to create homemade helmets, Carnevale masks, tunnels for toy trucks and cars, and even mini basketball hoops.
How Pandoro is served in Italy
In Italy, there are countless ways to serve this versatile cake! Pandoro is often served cut in horizontal slices that are restacked to resemble a Christmas tree. It can then be decorated with a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or each layer can be spread with whipped sweetened mascarpone, pastry cream, jams, or zabaglione. And just like a gingerbread house, it can be embellished with festive, edible embellishments, including mint leaves, candied cherries, tiny candies, sprinkles, or crushed candy canes.
Thanks to the natural yeast used in making pandoro, it lasts more than six months without refrigeration. Italian home cooks often substitute sliced pandoro – instead of the usual pan di spagna (sponge cake) or savoiardi (lady finger cookies) – in recipes like zuppa inglese, tiramisù or zuccotto. Dolce al Pandoro is a specialty of Michel-star 12 Apostoli, one of Verona’s most famed restaurants. Created by the charming owner, Giorgio Gioco, it features slices of pandoro layered with creamy zabaglione, shaved chocolate, and nuts. The famous American singer and actress Barbara Streisand said during a TV interview in Italy that it was the best dessert she’d ever tasted in her life!