Panone and Certosino are traditional Christmas cakes from Bologna.
Similar yet different.
Panone was the sweet of the Bolognese countryside, while Certosino was from the city.
Both recipes are ancient and belong to the Northern European tradition of cakes made with dried and candied fruit, honey, and wine. They have a rich, slightly old-fashioned flavor, but, contrary to what you might imagine, they also have a contemporary taste.
You won’t find eggs or butter in these recipes. If you replace the honey with maple syrup, you’ll have a vegan dessert. Finally, the taste is not sugary but, on the contrary, rich in aromas and spices.
The traditional Panone of Bologna
The name Panone means big bread. It was the cake that, once a year, even farmers could afford, and it was large in size to satisfy large families.
While Certosino originated within the walls of the Certosa Abbey in Bologna, where the monks had access to precious ingredients such as candied fruit and spices, Panone is a peasant recipe.
It is no coincidence that Certosino was the special bread appreciated by the Popes of Rome.
On the contrary, the ancient dough of the Bolognese Panone did not contain candied fruit, and the garnish was simpler as well. Then, starting in the second half of the 20th century, as wealth spread, some began to enrich Panone with candied fruit that originally belonged only to Certosino.
To avoid confusing the two traditions, I prefer to make Panone the old-fashioned way, with only dried fruit.
It is often possible to find another recent variation of the recipe: the version with eggs or milk.
As with Certosino, honey and jam are used in Panone to bind the other ingredients together. A significant difference concerns the yeast, which is present in Panone but only in modest quantities in Certosino.
Dorina’s recipe
When I met Dorina, she was already ancient. I don’t know how old she was.
All I know is that she looked like a fairy godmother from a fairy tale.
She was round and petite, with a bunch of silver hair tied back.
She had piercing blue eyes and wore an immaculate white coat. I perfectly remember her scent of bread and good things.
She and her husband, Nino, were bakers and ran the bakery with Eliseo, Dorina’s brother.
An even older gentleman, he wore a blue apron. He looked like a drop of water, like the character created by the Italian cartoonist Altan.
Crossing the threshold of their bakery, which is now a well-known ice-cream shop in the city, was like entering a zirudella (story) with a Bolognese flavor. They expressed a Bolognese spirit and way of life that is disappearing.
Just think, Nino and Dorina didn’t take the motorway to visit a sister of hers who lived in Milan but traveled from Bologna and Milan – and back – along the Via Emilia. By an Italian Fiat, of course.
Back to the Panone
I used to ask Dorina a lot of questions. Before closing the bakery, she left me a large glass and metal jar for the biscuits and some recipes. Of course, she didn’t give me the weight of the individual ingredients, but it was a clue to get to work.
As for Panone, I remember her saying that it was made with honey, but she knew that some people used Saba.
I would ask her every time, year after year: “What about you, Dorina? What do you use?”
She lowered her glasses to look at me and replied, ‘Honey,’ with a clever smile. And this year, when I used saba for the first time, I also used balsamic vinegar, so she probably used saba too.
Those who have tasted it say it’s my best Panone ever.
But don’t worry, use honey or balsamic if you don’t have saba.
In the method, find the right amount of honey, saba, or balsamic you need.
You can try what you prefer (the most used ingredient, also historically, is honey).
Certosino cake:
HERE you can read the recipe and history of the Certosino of Bologna.
A masterpiece among the cakes of the gastronomic culture of the city for centuries.
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Panone cake
Equipment
- for one Panone, round mold 24 cm diameter/ or 2 round molds 12 cm diameter / or 2 rectangular molds 19x12cm
Ingredients
- 60 g of raisins
- 130 g of whole, peeled almonds. Set aside 50 g for the decoration
- 40 g of hazelnuts
- 30 g of pine nuts
- 80 g of walnut kernels. Set aside 40 g for the decoration of the surface
- 60 g of dried figs
- 50 g of dark chocolate or dark chocolate drops
- 300 g of 00 flour
- 40 g of bitter cocoa
- 20 g of baking powder for cake
- 1 pinch of salt
- 80 g of honey replace with maple syrup to make it vegan
- 350 g of plum jam or sweet Bolognese mustard
- 150 g of white wine
- 20 g of Marsala wine
- 100 ml of warm water
- 1/2 lemon grated zest optional
Instructions
- Place raisins in a bowl, cover with hot water, and let soften for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water, dry the raisins on kitchen paper, and set aside.
- In a pan, toast almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and walnuts for one minute, then set aside about ten almonds and six walnut kernels for decoration.
- Chop almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, dried figs, and chocolate coarsely with a knife.
- Preheat the oven to 170C degrees (338F).
- In a bowl, also the one in the planetary mixer, pour flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. And mix.
- Knead the dough until well blended with a spoon or into the planetary mixer. for 5 minutes. The dough is sticky and firm. It is ok, do not add more liquid.
- Now add in the chopped dried fruit and chocolate as well. Knead for another 3 minutes.
- Grease themold(s) with some olive oil, pour in the dough, and decorate the surface with whole almonds and walnut kernels.
- Bake in preheated oven for one hour. Test with a toothpick; when it comes out dry, the Panone is ready.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before brushing with honey. Turn it fluid on the stove or in the microwave.
- If you use a rectangular mold, cut the cake into 2 or 4 parts to make gifts or share with friends and family.
- Store the Panone in the pantry wrapped in plastic film for up to a month.
