Colomba is to Easter what panettone is to Christmas. While the two sweet holiday breads share a similar style of dough that's studded with candied citrus, colomba is dove-shaped and flavored with almonds.
Legends tie it back to the city of Pavia during the sixth century, when invaders had offered the king a dove-shaped cake as a sign of peace. However, the origin of the colomba as we know it is actually considered more modern. During the 1930s, publicist Dino Villani, who represented the Motta company, had the idea to launch an Easter cake with a panettone-like dough, but shaped like a dove and finished with amaretto icing and almonds.
If you'd like to enjoy a colombe this Easter, here are artisanal ones you can have shipped directly to your doorstep from Italy.
Olivieri 1882
With over 140 years of experience, Olivieri 1882’s Colomba Classica is 100% handmade, and features high-quality ingredients such as Tahitian Bourbon vanilla bean, raw cane sugar, centrifuged Belgian butter, and Italian acacia honey. The cloud-like sweet bread is then studded with finely chopped candied orange and topped with an almond, hazelnut, pine nut, and pearl sugar glaze. A four-day production process, long fermentation, and no addition of preservatives result in a rich, yet refined, fluffy colomba. In 2019, it earned a first-place ranking in Italy's prestigious Gambero Rosso guide. Olivieri 1882's colomba comes in a variety of flavors including White Chocolate & Berries, Triple Chocolate, Amarena Cherry, Apricot Salted Caramel, and more. The $70 cost includes 48-hour shipping. Orders can be placed here.
Acetaia Giusti
The Colomba Giusti couples the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena with the sweetness of the traditional Italian Easter dessert. A soft and fragrant leavened cake is interspersed with pleasant balsamic aromas of Acetaia Giusti's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Raisins soak in the acetaia's 3 Gold Medals balsamic vinegar, which is then added to the dough in the form of cream filling. When complete, the colomba is splattered with a dark chocolate glaze. Order here.
Bona Furtuna
Bona Furtuna has partnered with a celebrated local artisan from Sicily's Agrigento province, located just down the road from La Furtuna estate. The buttery, dove-shaped Colomba is dotted with candied Sicilian oranges, plump raisins, and Noto Romana Almonds almonds, topped with crunchy pearl sugar. It's wrapped in a hand-painted watercolor design that depicts the treat's local ingredients. It costs $64.95 and be ordered here.
Bonifanti x Eataly
The Chocolate Chip Colomba by Bonifanti is a sweet, dove-shaped loaf made with the highest quality ingredients: mother yeast for fluffiness, fresh eggs for the intense yellow color, and luscious chocolate chips for sweetness. Baked especially for Eataly, this Colomba is covered in a hazelnut glaze and crunchy almonds. Excellent on its own, Colomba pairs well with fresh berries, dark chocolate, and sweet spreads. Enjoy the festive Easter cake with a glass of Prosecco or dessert wine. Order here.
Pasticceria Biasetto
Available at Gustiamo, this Colomba is hand-made by award-winning pastry chef Luigi Biasetto in Padova. It is made with carefully selected ingredients that Mr. Biasetto sources himself. This colomba has a fluffy, porous, and just ever so slightly dry texture that derives from optimal flour combined with natural mother yeast, which has been nurtured for 90 years and several generations. A rich layer of frosting decorated with toasted almonds covers the top. Fresh, organic eggs and butter made by centrifuge from the best milk render the candied-orange-peel-studded dough a glowing yellow. Order here.