The Pampepato or Pampapato from Ferrara is a traditional Christmas dessert of this city. It has a dome shape, a dough of cocoa, almonds, and candied fruits flavored with cinnamon and cloves all covered with dark chocolate. The name can be misleading because one might think of pepper, but in reality, it is absent. There are many recipes for this dessert, but I followed the one sent to me from Ferrara by my friend Antonella Zappaterra. Of course, I divided her amounts by four because I realized she prepares quantities for the whole year or maybe for all of Copparo, and I added more cinnamon and cloves … I love spices. And now, let’s start with the preparation! P.S. Antonella … I am in your hands.
Updated on 12/11/19
Other Christmas recipes
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 1,052.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 175.58 (g) of which sugars 101.65 (g)
- Proteins 22.26 (g)
- Fat 35.78 (g) of which saturated 10.33 (g)of which unsaturated 22.69 (g)
- Fibers 16.66 (g)
- Sodium 97.73 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 266 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 14 oz almonds (with skin)
- 12 oz candied fruit (mixed)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (level)
- 1 tbsp ground cloves (level)
- 2/3 cup Marsala wine (adjust as needed)
- 10 1/2 oz 70% dark chocolate
Tools
- Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
- Food Scale
Steps
Preheat the oven to 340°F in static mode. In a large bowl, pour the flour, sweet and unsweetened cocoa, mixed candied fruit, spices, and almonds mixed with sugar.
Mix all the ingredients with the help of a wooden spoon. Pour some of the liqueur (or your preferred choice) and blend. You will adjust the amount of liqueur needed as you knead, using your hands. To form the dome, you will find the dough sticky, so wet your hands with water to shape your dessert. If you prefer, do like me and make small pampepati the size of a walnut, keeping an eye on the baking.
Place it on a baking sheet with a parchment paper sheet and bake at 340°F for 40 minutes checking it. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Melt the dark chocolate or as you like, in a bain-marie. Pour it over the dessert and wait for it to solidify. Do the same if you have prepared some smaller ones too.
