I could have typed that.

The main difference panettone has over a traditional fruit cake, is panettone's no where near as heavy. You don't get that clogging, almost punishment like feeling that you do when eating extremely heavy, rich fruit cakes.

When you cut into panettone it's aerated, it's like a honeycomb, full of mini pockets of air. Plus it's not brimming with fruit either, so if your not a fan of fruit you could easily pick that out, in which case you'd be better off buying a pandoro.

I'd describe it almost as a bread rather a cake, texture wise anyway. I'll more than likely be having it for breakfast for next couple of months I enjoy it that much. And when I do have it as more of a desert, it tends to be with warm custard.

For those umming and arring about it, go for it!

Absolutely!

So it's like a toasted teacake then, apart from the fact that it's not toasted and not covered in lashings of gorgeous, hand-churned local butter, melting throughout?

No ta, it still sounds too much like cake to me

It's quite nice, more bread than cake, makes a wonderful bread and butter pudding.

That's what I'm doing for Christmas pudding this year, well, Boxing day as the evil witch has the kids on Christmas day this year. Lots of french butter, generous helping of cinamon and nutmeg, and home-made cremé anglaise. Job's a good-un.

Respec' I haven't made pastry in years.
Mind you, I was never any good at it, something to do with my hands not being cold enough.

Wot, no custard?

Cheers!

I do tend to worry sometimes on that score myself - after all, how do you actually know what it too warm and what's okay? But I don't seem to have too much bother. I do enjoy making pastry. My first attempt at a pie, a week ago, was a midweek, so I thought I'd 'cheat' and use shop-bought pastry - until I realised the ingredients included vegetable oil and lemon juice. I went home and just made my own instead, with half butter, half lard. The pastry for the meat and potato pie was 100% lard.

When I were a lad, I used to think that cheese with fruit cake was the normal "done thing".
But it seems it's mainly a Yorkshire preference ... and one that I still have.