Balocco

Balocco is an Italian family bakery from Fossano in Piedmont, north-west Italy. Francesco Antonio Balocco opened it as a pastry shop in 1927, and from 1948 it baked panettone, pandoro, biscuits and wafers. Its cakes and biscuits are now sold in dozens of countries.

Panettone comes from Milan: a tall, domed cake made with raisins and candied orange peel. Pandoro comes from Verona: a golden, eight-pointed star with no fruit, rich in butter and eggs, and dusted with icing sugar before serving. They are Italy’s two classic Christmas cakes, and both have a light, airy crumb.

For a traditional panettone, choose the Classico, with raisins and candied orange peel. The Mandorlato adds a hazelnut glaze with whole almonds and frosted sugar on top, and the Gocciolotto swaps the fruit for chocolate chips. For something richer, the Creamy Pistachio & Hazelnut panettone has two cream fillings, and the Pandoro Maxiciok has pistachio and hazelnut creams under a milk chocolate coating.

A 650g sharing cake inspired by the Dubai chocolate trend: a pistachio and white chocolate cream centre with milk and dark chocolate and kataifi, the crisp shredded pastry used in Dubai chocolate bars. It suits birthdays, celebrations and coffee breaks all year round.

Cut panettone into tall wedges from the top down, like a cake. In Italy it is often served with a sweet wine such as Moscato d’Asti or with mascarpone cream. Slice pandoro across into star-shaped layers, and if it comes with a sachet of icing sugar, dust it over just before serving.

Most Balocco cakes contain wheat (gluten), eggs, milk and butter. The pistachio, hazelnut and almond cakes contain nuts, and Balocco’s labels warn that the range may contain other tree nuts, soya and mustard. Allergens are in bold in the ingredients on each product page; always check the pack before buying for someone with an allergy.

Balocco cakes are made with butter, eggs and milk, so they are not vegan. Balocco does not state vegetarian or halal certification on the packs we stock, so check the ingredients (for example the emulsifiers) on each product, or ask us before you order.

Unopened, follow the best-before date on the pack. Once opened, keep the cake in its bag, tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, and enjoy it within three or four days while the crumb is still soft.

You can order Balocco online from us for delivery across the UK, or buy it in our shop in Harold Hill, Romford. We stock Balocco panettone and pandoro, the Maxi Ciok, Torte in Festa and tiramisu cream cakes, and the hazelnut and cocoa wafers, at the same prices online as in the shop.

Yes. We send orders across the UK by Royal Mail or DHL. Delivery is free on orders of £70 or more to the UK mainland, or you can collect your order from our shop in Harold Hill, Romford.