Our favourite Italian baking recipes

The Italians could certainly give the British a run for their money when it comes to baking. We might have Victoria sponges, Bakewell tarts and pies, but in Italy they have just as many sweet treats to get stuck into. While we tend to whisk and mix our batters, Italians make use of their beautiful pasta machines, rolling out the dough to a uniform thinness before flavouring it with all manner of delicious ingredients.

If you’re getting a little tired of layer cakes and fruit crumbles but still want to get your hands all dusty with flour, have a go at one of these incredible Italian baking recipes. All of the dishes below are guaranteed to wow at any dinner party or get-together, and if you’re feeling particularly confident about your baking skills, anyone who manages to make the panettone from scratch should be awarded a medal. Mangia bene!

Up for a challenge? These Neapolitan delicacies might be tricky to produce, but the results are incredible. Originally created by an Italian nun, sfogliatelle are supposed to resemble lobster tails, and the many layers – when laminated properly – crisp up into a beautiful, rustling shell that holds the rich citrus and vanilla filling, thickened with semolina and ricotta. You’ll need a pasta machine to get the dough thin enough, before rolling it up into a tight sausage to achieve all those beautiful layers.

Once you’ve mastered the sfogliatelle, move onto something even more spectacular – a homemade panettone. Sure, it’s easy to just pop into the shop and buy one ready-made, but you can only truly appreciate this festive sweet bread when it’s baked at home. Make sure you put enough time aside, however – it takes two full days to create from start to finish, and you have to leave it hanging upside-down for twelve hours (using knitting needles!) before serving. However, that first bite will make it all worth it.

Tuscany is where some of Italy’s most famous bakes originate, and the torta della nonna is one of the most indulgent. A lemon and vanilla custard filling is wholly encased in sweet pastry, with some pine nuts scattered over the top for extra crunch. If the two recipes above are a little too advanced for your Italian baking skills, give this a try instead.