Britons ditch hot cross buns for a European ‘Colomba’ cake leading to empty shelves in UK supermarkets

Customers have already reported empty shelves as the retailer struggles to keep up with surging demand for this continental delicacy.

Colomba, which means dove in Italian, is the Easter equivalent of panettone.

It features a similar yeasted dough enriched with butter and egg, liberally spiked with citrus peel.

The distinctive dove shape can sometimes resemble a fluffy cloud or a four-leaf clover.

M&S describes their version as a classic Italian sweet bread with candied orange and citron peel, finished with hazelnut frosting and topped with almonds.

The Italian cake's popularity has soared dramatically, with online searches jumping by 270 per cent in just over a month.

Google searches for Colomba have doubled since last Easter, following a wider trend of Italian festive bakes gaining popularity, with 'panettone' searches outpacing 'fruit cake' by 53 per cent last December.

Following M&S's success, both Waitrose and Sainsbury's have introduced their own versions of the treat.

Contrary to popular belief, Italian treat is a relatively recent invention, dating back to the mid-20th century.

A creative Milanese baker developed the dove-shaped cake as a way to extend the selling season for his popular Christmas panettone.

With panettone now firmly established in British food culture, it was perhaps inevitable that its Easter counterpart would follow suit.

Making Colomba at home presents challenges, as the high sugar and fat content don't easily combine with gluten and yeast.

Purchasing ready-made versions, as Italians traditionally do, offers a practical solution.

Shoppers will have to act fast, however, as the cake's growing popularity is already clearing supermarket shelves.