Colomba di Pasqua or Colomba Pasquale

When I was in New Zealand. I encountered Hot Cross Buns -  a bun with a white icing cross criss-crossed on top, in celebration of Easter. 

This Easter 2016 I chanced upon an oddly shaped bread-cake fusion creation in an Italian store (CAD$19.00 on sale for a 1 lb 10.4 oz/750 grams).  It turned out to be a Colomba di Pasqua or Colomba Pasquale , an Italian Easter (pascua) Bread (in North America) or Cake (in Italy)  that was molded in the shape of a dove (colomba), though unless you know the translation , you wouldn’t think it is a silouhette of a bird.  In Christianity, a dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit or peace.

The Colomba di Pasqua is the counterpart of the Italian Christmas breads: panettone and pandoro.

The dough for the colomba is made in a similar manner to panettone: with flour, eggs, sugar, natural yeast and butter.  However unlike panettone, the classical colomba has no raisins (mine has), just candied peel.  The dough baked in a dove shape pan is gilded with a shiny coat of sugar-nut syrup (mine was hazelnut icing), and finally topped with pearl sugar and chopped almonds or hazelnuts before being baked.  Some bakers produce chocolate icing topped version.