For Italians, nothing quite says Christmas like panettone. Baked until golden, deliciously sweet and fragrant with spices, it has all the festive flavours one could wish for.
Our panettone recipe, from Hotel Amigo’s BoCConi Restaurant, is given a wonderfully Flemish twist when served with a delicious speculoos cream. A caramelized, spiced biscuit, speculoos are much-loved seasonal treats, and this combination creates the perfect centrepiece for a Christmas afternoon tea.
Ingredients
For the Panettone:
70g sugar
40 ml water
4 egg yolks
90g butter
90g panettone flour
40g yeast
40g plain flour
Pinch of salt
80g dried grapes
40g candied oranges
For the speculoos cream:
50g gianduja spread
25g speculoos biscuits
Method
Place the panettone flour, salt, 30g sugar, yeast, water and 2 egg yolks in a bowl and mix
Chill for 2 hours
Once chilled, place the mixture in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook
Add in the plain flour, remaining sugar, pinch of salt, 2 egg yolks, 60g butter and dried fruits and mix until you reach a dough consistency
Cover and chill for one hour
Place the chilled dough in a paper panettone mould and chill for a further 6 hours, until the dough is risen
Preheat your oven to 175o C. Add a little butter on top of the panettone and bake in the oven for 35 minutes
Once golden and cooked, prick the panettone and allow to cool upside down for 12 hours
Place in the oven for 35 minutes at 175° C (static baking)
To make the speculoos cream, simply blend your Speculoos biscuits with the gianduja until you have a creamy consistency. Serve the panettone with the Speculoos cream on top and enjoy.
Sample BoCConi’s sensational Italian dishes at Hotel Amigo. For reservations please call +32 2 547 47 15 or email ristorantebocconi@roccofortehotels.com.
Vivacious, glamorous, powerful. Few figures encapsulate the effortless grandeur of the Belle Époque quite like Donna Franca, our Sicilian muse. Famed for her petite frame, thick dark hair and an exquisite fashion sense that has endured for over a century, Franca was the epitome of an era that placed beauty and high fashion at its forefront.
The festive season brings its own kind of sparkle - a flurry of celebrations, feasts, and time with those who matter most. To make gifting simple, we’ve curated a selection of bespoke experiences to delight everyone on your list. From candlelit dinners and Italian wine tastings to tranquil spa escapes and moments devoted to yourself, each experience thoughtfully crafted to offer moments of joy.
In a time when beauty shaped every facet of life — from the curve of a staircase to the vivid bloom of a painted iris — Italy’s Stile Liberty captured the optimism of a new century. Across Europe in the late 19th century, the Belle Époque blurred the line between art and the everyday, celebrating craftsmanship, elegance, and expressive freedom. Now, a new cultural itinerary, From Mucha to Florio, traces that movement between Hotel de la Ville in Rome and Villa Igiea in Palermo, two different cities, two glorious expressions of the same artistic impulse.
