Torta Di Panettone Christmas Cake Recipes

TORTA D'UVA: GRAPE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the flour on a worktable. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil, yeast, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, grappa, and 1/2 the grapes. Combine the ingredients together and knead until the mixture becomes an even dough. If necessary, add a little more flour to absorb all the liquids.
• Roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the dough on the tray. Add the remaining grapes and squish some of the grapes to release the juices, while leaving the others whole. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

TORTA DI PANETTONE: CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Place the heavy cream in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk together until firm. In another bowl add the blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, remaining sugar, and grappa. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes and allow the sugar to marinate with the grappa. Cut the Panettone cake into approximately 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Reconstruct the Panettone by re-layering the slices of cake with the whipping cream and mixed fruit and juices equally in between all the layered pieces. Repeat until all the layers and cake have been reconstructed. Add any remaining juices and an optional splash of grappa on top.

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Add the eggs 1 at a time, and incorporate well. Combine bread crumbs, flour, all the spices, baking powder, and salt. Combine rum and port. Add flour mixture alternately with rum/port mixture into the batter. Fold in the chopped marinated fruit.
• Prepare 1 (9-inch) cake pan or 2 spring form pans by lining bottom and sides with parchment paper. Fill the pan 3/4 of the way and bake until a skewer comes out of the center of the cake clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Put raisins, prunes, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans in a glass jar and cover with mixture of equal parts Jamaican white rum, Jamaican spiced rum, and Port. Cover with a tight fitting lid, label, and date the jar. Put in a cool, dry cupboard. From time to time, check the fruits to see if more liquor is needed, as the fruits will plump and soak up the liquid.
• Keep the fruit covered in liquor. It is best to allow the fruit to marinate for at least 1 month for best flavor.