Ferrara Pampepato or Pampapato is a traditional Christmas dessert from this city. It has a dome shape, a mixture of cocoa, almonds, and candied fruit flavored with cinnamon and cloves, all covered with dark chocolate. The name might be misleading because it seems to suggest pepper, but it contains none. Many recipes exist for this dessert, but I followed one sent to me from Ferrara by my friend Antonella Zappaterra. Of course, I divided her quantities by 4 because I understood that she prepares enough for the whole year or perhaps for all of Copparo, and I added more cinnamon and cloves… I love spices. And now on to the preparation! P.S. Antonella… I’m in your hands.
Updated on 12/11/19
Other Christmas Recipes
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- 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
- 5.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 2.5 cups sugar
- 0.75 cup sweetened cocoa powder
- 1.25 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 14 oz almonds (with skin)
- 12 oz candied fruit (mixed)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (leveled)
- 1 tbsp ground cloves (leveled)
- 2/3 cup marsala wine (add as needed)
- 10.5 oz 70% dark chocolate
Tools
- Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Baking Paper
- Cooling Rack
- Kitchen Scale
Steps
Preheat the oven to 340°F static mode. In a large bowl, pour in the flour, sweetened and unsweetened cocoa, mixed candied fruit, spices, and almonds ground with sugar.
Mix all the ingredients using a wooden spoon. Pour in a part of the liquor (or your choice) and mix. Decide the amount of liquor needed as you knead, now 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, like me, you can also make small pampepati the size of a walnut, keeping an eye on the baking.
Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 340°F for 40 minutes, checking. 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 made smaller ones.
