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.
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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.
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Panettone, originally made in Milan, has a distinctive dome-shaped top and traditionally contains citrus peel and raisins or candied fruit – though all kinds of variations are available,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 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”.
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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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.