There is no Christmas in Italy without “Panettone“: Panettone classico,Panettone with almonds, Panettone with chocolate. One panettone has to be there.

What is the history behind this famous Italian cake ?

One legend attributes the invention to Ughetto degli Atellani who was in love with Algisa, the daughter of a pastry owner. He got a job at her father’s pastry and to impress the dad of his beloved one he invented a new cake: Panettone. It was such a big success that Algisa’s father agreed to the marriage of the couple who lived happily to the end of their days.

The other legend goes that Toni, lowly scullion at the service of Ludovico il Moro, invented the Panettone by accident: On Christmas Eve, the chef of the Sforza burned the cake prepared for the feast. Therefore Toni decided to offer the yeast that he had kept aside for himself for Christmas. He kneaded it several times with flour, eggs, sugar, raisins and candied fruit, until obtaining a soft and leavened dough. The result was a great success and Ludovico il Moro called it Pan de Toni to honor its inventor.

In any case: Today panettone is the most well-known Christmas sweet in Italy.

In this video you can see how ByItaly’s panettones are made: