Does anyone else remember the Great Panettone Shortage? I sure do. Every holiday season, I look forward to indulging in this impossibly rich, fruit-studded Italian classic. But one year, thanks to COVID-related supply chain issues, my cherished tradition was nowhere to be found.  “I’ll just make my own,” I thought. Not so fast! Panettone is often called the “Mt. Everest” of baking challenges. Technically a bread rather than a cake, panettone is a multi-day project involving a yeasted sourdough starter, multiple rises, and precise shaping—not exactly tailored to a novice baker with limited time on her hands. Then I hit upon an idea. I decided to capture everything I love about Panettone—the glorious chestnuts (so under-valued!), orange-scented dried fruits, and buttery richness—but in a much more manageable form. Enter: Panettone Pound Cake.

So my sister Lan has been making Pannetone every Christmas for the last couple of years. It’s wonderful and festive, but it’s definitely a labor of love, so much so that it’s a once in a year project. Lan is a one woman factory, churning out these fragrant loaves, often struggling to finish off the massive quantity of egg whites that she’s left with once the pannetone project is finished. This in turn becomes the massive macaron project because it is one of the few egg white recipes her husband will eat. If this sounds like you, let me ease your holiday burden by offering a twist that will satisfy that holiday baking/gift giving itch, but preserve your sanity.

This Pannetone Pound Cake comes together in about an hour and a half and delivers all the festive flavors you crave, with none of the stress. It’s a holiday showstopper of a dessert, with each bite offering chewy fruit set against vanilla cakey goodness. And rumor has it, the leftovers make an amazing breakfast treat. Plus it’s another way to use those Roasted Chestnuts we made, so let’s get into it!

I start making my Panettone Pound Cake by simmering the roasted chestnuts and dried fruit in some juice. You can do this the day before since they need to cool down before using, but try not to eat them all! I simmer them with apple juice, which adds a gentle sweetness but more importantly moisture and softness.

Originally I tried to make the recipe without this step, tweaking the recipe over and over. But I could not get around the fact that the fruit ended up like dried, almost taffy like, pieces that were rush-to-the-dentist hard. So in order to avoid a holiday dinner table disaster, which is an unfortunate family hallmark, I decided that some simmering was a good thing.

You can really use any combination of fruit. I just happen to like this one best because it’s unusual, fragrant, and has a luxe indulgent feel. You’ll need about 3 cups total, which is generous yet doesn’t compromise the rise of the batter.

In addition to the chestnuts, which I hope you won’t skip, I add some candied oranges. If they come in large pieces, you’ll want to mince it first. I love the ones they have at Trader Joe’s, and they are wonderful in my Brussels Sprouts Salad too. If you don’t have a TJ’s near you, any dried oranges or tangerines will work as well (although you may need to simmer them along with the chestnuts to get them hydrated).

The chestnuts get simmered in the apple juice for ten minutes. They will look very soft and moist. Then pour the whole thing over the other dried fruits, letting the boiling hot liquid pump up the other fruits.

After the 30 minutes is up I strain out the fruit and let it cool to room temperature. You can use the leftover juice for hot mulled cider, a fall inspired salad dressing, or anything else…maybe some juice pops. You get the drift.

Baking the Panettone Pound Cake

Now that the fruits are ready, it’s time to make the cake. This is a rather straightforward pound cake recipe. Like with all baking, some simple steps ensure success: read the recipe through before beginning, if you don’t bake often make sure your baking powder is not expired, and if possible, weigh your flour for the most accurate measurements. If you don’t have a scale use the “spoon and level” method; lightly spoon flour into your dry measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. I know this can seem a little persnickety, but baking is a science, and if you’ve ever had baking fails, it’s likely a little too much or too little flour was the culprit.

Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition:

Really mix the fruit in evenly so that every bite will have a little bit of something and there’s no big clumps of fruit stuck together.

This is a big cake that will fill the pan almost all the way to the top. Make sure you are using a large bundt cake mold (mine is 12 cups). Poundcake batters are very thick and there isn’t as much rise as a thin layer cake. Just make sure you have a little space from the edge of the pan. If you don’t have a large bundt cake pan, you can also use 2 loaf pans, or even halve the recipe.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before flipping it out and then let it cool completely.

This Panettone Pound cake is perfect on its own to end your holiday meal, and of course no one would be mad if you served her with some whipped cream.

I can’t wait for you to try this cake so we can all get our panettone fix this holiday season. Let me know what you think, and don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Panettone Pound Cake

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 70 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: serves 12 1x
• Category: sweets

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Ingredients

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• 13 ½ ounces all purpose flour (3 cups)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¼ teaspoon orange oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dried Fruit:

• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 cup cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped 
• 1 cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup minced candied oranges slices

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Instructions

Prepare Fruit:

1. Put all of the dried fruit into a large bowl, except chestnuts. 
2. Combine the chestnuts with the apple juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat.
3. Lower heat to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer for 10 minutes. The chestnuts should be moist and soft.
4. Pour the chestnuts and the hot apple juice over the dried fruit and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the apple juice from the fruit using a colander and use the juice for another purpose or discard. Set the fruit aside to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the Cake:

1. Heat the oven to 325°F and move the oven shelf to the middle of the oven.
2. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baker’s cooking spray, making sure you get all of the nooks and crannies.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. 
4. With an electric mixer (I use the paddle attachment on my stand mixer), beat the butter until it’s very pale and little tails have formed, about 1 minute on medium high speed. 
5. Add in the sugar and beat well until slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes. 
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely blended before adding the next. 
7. With the mixer on the lowest setting, add one-third of the flour and mix until almost combined; then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour, and then the last half of the buttermilk plus the vanilla extract and the orange oil. Add the last third of the flour and mix until almost combined. It’s fine to still have small streaks of unmixed flour.
8. Using a stiff rubber spatula, add all of the fruit and slowly stir to blend it into the flour mixture, taking care to scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides.
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it when inserted in the center, 65-70 minutes. 
10. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes; flip it out gently onto a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

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Notes

* You can use any combination of dried fruit for a total of 3 cups

*Trader Joe sells candied orange slices in the dried fruit aisle.

*Cooked and peeled chestnuts are sold at asian grocery stores, costco, and trader joes

Keywords: panettone, cake, holiday, dessert, pound cake, chestnuts

If you love winter squashes but have never tried kabocha, you’re in a for a treat. Sometimes called Japanese pumpkin, Kabocha is sweeter than pumpkin and even than butternut squash. When gently simmered, it becomes incredibly tender and makes a perfect side for nearly any main dish. I love to make this Simmered Kabocha all winter long, it’s especially welcome at any holiday gathering. Kabocha’s natural sweetness makes this an ideal vegetable for even the pickiest of eaters and of course its gorgeous hue is just perfect for this time of year.

I’m going to be real. My daughter Emi and her girlfriend, who are graduating college seniors, use my website to deepen their culinary repertoire. And they often give me feedback, which is incredibly welcome, because I want to do my best for you guys and know that the recipe works as well for you as it does for me. One thing they mentioned this weekend is that my prep times are not accurate, since most people are not chopping at the same speed. So I will be working on that and trying to give you more accurate preparation times.

Which is all just a segue to the not so good news…pumpkins take some work to peel and cut. You want to work carefully and slowly because pumpkins are large, dense, roll around, and are not easy to cut. So some basic precautions: take your time and don’t rush the process, use a sharp knife, and put the pumpkin on the floor if you need more leverage to cut it open.

However, you can avoid this whole scenario if you wish, by leaving the pumpkin unpeeled. Japanese people peel all their produce. It enhances the look, giving that extra visual appeal, and makes your veggies shine. Moreover, since Japanese food focuses heavily on seasonality and aesthetics, it’s just part of normal food preparation. But you can absolutely eat the rind and it’s not necessary to remove it. I know you’re not daunted, so let’s get to it.

This is such a simple recipe, with just a few ingredients to really let the sweet, almost chestnut like flavors, of the kabocha shine. I start by cutting the squash in half. First, I put down a damp kitchen towel so the kabocha isn’t rolling all around while I’m trying to cut through it. (Since we’re only using half the squash, save the other half and make my Kabocha Soup!)

If the kabocha is particularly dense, it may be difficult for you to cut through the pumpkin. In that case, put it on the floor so you can put your weight behind the knife. Don’t attempt to cut through the kabocha in one shot. Cut into it from one side through the center and then flip the kabocha around and cut into it from the other side. You may need to do this a couple of times until you can cut down through the middle and split the pumpkin in half. Take your time.

If you’re a proud member of the Reduce Food Waste Club, you can save the seeds and roast them just like you would pumpkin seeds.

Try to make fairly consistent cuts so it all cooks through at the same time. Once the kabocha is prepped, it’s time to cook. I add a few flavor boosters to the simmering liquid like dashi powder and mirin which add a subtle bit of umami and sweetness.

Let it gently simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check every so often that there’s still a little liquid left in the pan.  Once it’s done there will be very little left, but we don’t want it drying out and sticking to the pan before the Simmered Kabocha is completely cooked through and tender. When it’s done the squash will be easily pierced with a fork.

I love to serve Simmered Kabocha with holiday roasts or as side with Braised Short Ribs, Teriyaki Meatballs, or Pork Shogayaki. They are also lovely as part of a meatless meal.

I hope this becomes part of your regular winter meal rotation. Let me know what you think; you can rate the recipe and comment. And of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Simmered Kabocha

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: serves 4

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Ingredients

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• 2 pounds kabocha pumpkin (about half a large one)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Mirin
• ½ teaspoon dashi powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Put the kabocha on a stable surface, either a cutting board with a damp towel under it to keep the board from moving, or just a damp towel, which is what I prefer. Use a sharp paring knife or any small knife and cut around the stem to remove it. 
2. Put your knife in the middle of the kabocha where you just removed the stem and cut down into the kabocha. (You can put the pumpkin on the floor and do it this way if you’re having trouble. You will have better leverage this way).
3. Flip the kabocha around and cut into it the same way. Repeat this as needed until you can cut the kabocha in half. Save the other half for another recipe.
4. Scoop out the seeds and discard (or roast them on a baking sheet with a little oil) .
5. Carefully put the cut side down and peel off the green skin, using small shallow cuts with a sharp knife. (You can also skip this step if you prefer to leave your pumpkin unpeeled).
6. Slice the kabocha into thick slices and then cut across the cut to yield 1 ½ inch chunks.
7. Place the kabocha into a medium pot and add the water, sugar, mirin, dashi powder, and salt.
8. Bring the kabocha to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir to mix the cooking liquid and distribute the kabocha evenly in the pot. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium.
9. Cook for 15-20 minutes, checking occasionally that the liquid has not all cooked off. Add a little more water as needed to keep the pot from being dry.
10. The kabocha should be very tender and easily pierced with a fork and there should be very little liquid remaining in the pot.
11. Serve Simmered Kabocha immediately. 

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Notes

*This recipe still tastes good if you don’t have the mirin or dashi powder. Add a little more salt or sugar to taste as needed.

*You can of course use homemade dashi as well. Substitute 1/3 cup of homemade dashi for the water and continue with the recipe. I would not recommend using regular chicken or vegetable stock as it has too many other flavors. Use only water and adjust the seasonings instead.

*This kabocha tastes great hot, room temperature, or cold. Store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within several days.

Keywords: kabocha, pumpkin, japanese, quick,