The panettone cake is the solution for those who want to impress their guests easily and quickly during the Christmas holidays.
This recipe, in fact, will allow you to make in very few steps a cake that looks very much like the traditional panettone, although it is obviously not a large leavened cake and indeed, it is made with instant yeast; it is in every way, as the name itself says, a cake, tall, soft, and super easy to make!
And I’ll tell you more: honestly, for now, I haven’t found anything similar online, while I often see panettone cakes baked in low molds or springform pans; most likely because (and I learned the hard way) it is difficult to find the right combination of ingredients that allows for a dense enough mixture to prevent the raisins and candied fruits from sinking during baking, yet not too compact that it results in a panettone cake that is too ‘dry’.
After a few tries, however, I fortunately managed to write the definitive recipe that fully met my expectations; you just need to buy the suitable mold and start preparing the ingredients, the process is REALLY easy!
Below, in addition to the detailed written recipe, you will also find the complete video, always very useful to visually help you better understand, especially the obtained textures.
I’ll also leave you some of my other Christmas recipes that might surely interest you:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 500 g tall mold
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, New Year's Eve
Ingredients to make the PANETTONE CAKE
- 3 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 280 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g potato starch
- 180 g sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)
- Half vial almond flavoring
- 1 packet baking powder (vanilla flavored)
- as needed raisins (about three handfuls)
- 60 g candied fruits
- as needed sliced almonds (to decorate the surface)
Tools to make the PANETTONE CAKE
- Mold for 500 g panettone
- Electric hand mixer
Steps to make the PANETTONE CAKE
In a large bowl, break the eggs (at room temperature), add the sugar and run the electric beaters at medium-high power for about half a minute, until you obtain a light and voluminous mixture.
Lower the power of the beaters and pour in the milk, then the vegetable oil, continuing to mix until you achieve a homogeneous mixture; also add the almond flavoring and give it another quick mix with the electric beaters.
At this point, you can start incorporating, a little at a time, the potato starch along with the flour.
Add the vanilla-flavored baking powder, preferably sifted, and run the electric beaters one last time.
Finally, add the raisins previously soaked in water (or rum if you prefer) and well-drained, and the candied fruits.
Gently mix with a spatula to distribute everything well, then you can pour the mixture into the 500-gram panettone mold (tall), already resting on a baking tray.
Evenly distribute the sliced almonds on the surface, then bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F on the lower middle rack for about 60 minutes.
For this recipe, it is very important to check the baking with a wooden skewer, as it is a very tall cake and as every oven is different from another.
Towards the end of baking, if you see that the surface tends to darken a bit too much, cover it with aluminum foil until it finishes baking.
Let it cool completely before cutting, and here is your PANETTONE CAKE in all its splendor and goodness!
Storage and Variations
You can also prepare your panettone cake the day before, let it cool completely, and delicately cover it with aluminum foil so it doesn’t get too much air.
If there’s any left over, it keeps well for a couple of days.
If you don’t like candied fruits or raisins, you can fill your panettone cake with chocolate chips or flakes.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Is it possible to make the panettone cake gluten-free?
Yes, you can use a gluten-free flour mix that you find in stores, along with the quantity of gluten-free potato starch in the same amounts indicated in the recipe.
What can I substitute for candied fruits and raisins?
You can use chocolate chips or flakes.
Can I use a plant-based drink instead of milk?
Yes, I recommend almond or rice milk.
