Catherine says: "Living in Ireland, I used to think of panettone as a very dry Italian Christmas cake until I tasted one that had been freshly made in Sicily. I was totally converted - I could easily devour half of one in a single sitting! I bake these as individual little panettone cakes for friends. They are so good served with a glass of dessert wine or even Marsala.
Ingredients
To Activate the Yeast:
- 150 ml milk, warmed
- 2 tsp fast action dried yeast
For the Dough:
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 175 g butter, melted
- 3 tblsp rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100 g raisins
- 4 tblsp orange juice or brandy
- 100 g dark chocolate drops
- 3 tblsp candied peel
- egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water)
Method
Catherine says: "Living in Ireland, I used to think of panettone as a very dry Italian Christmas cake until I tasted one that had been freshly made in Sicily. I was totally converted – I could easily devour half of one in a single sitting! I bake these as individual little panettone cakes for friends. They are so good served with a glass of dessert wine or even Marsala.
- Place the warm milk and yeast in a small bowl and whisk together. Let it stand for 10 minutes. When the yeast is frothy, it's ready to use.
- Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a bowl until well incorporated and light, then add in the melted butter, rum and vanilla.
- Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add in the yeast and milk mixture along with the egg mixture and knead for 5 minutes on a low speed.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm, draught-free place until it has doubled in size, which will take about 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak the raisins in the orange juice or brandy in a small bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Butter and line a deep 20cm cake tin. Make a 10cm collar with a double thickness of parchment paper and line the sides of the tin.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knock it back. Mix in the raisins, chocolate drops and candied peel and lightly knead for 3–4 minutes.
- The dough should be soft, so oil your hands well to handle it. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the tin. Leave it to rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Brush the top with a little egg wash. Bake for about 55 minutes, until well risen and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- As you slice through the cake, they will look like little jewels.
Note:
Add a handful of dried cranberries and reduce the raisins for a change