The Christmas Star Cake is a holiday dessert that is delicious and easy to make. During the Christmas season, typical sweets, almond desserts, various pastries, and butter cookies are often prepared. Pandori and panettone are also staples: it would be wonderful to make them at home, but they take a lot of time and not everyone is skilled with large leavened products.
For this reason, I thought of preparing this star-shaped Christmas cake. Sometimes it’s also nice to bring different sweets to the table than the traditional ones, such as the panettone cake, the mille-feuille cake with nougat cream, the nougat and amaretti semifreddo or the kugelhupf.
In thinking of this Christmas Star Cake, I was inspired by the taste and aromas of panettone: as a base, I used a whipped butter crust (soft and moist like that of panettone) flavored with citrus zest and candied oranges. To make it even richer and more festive, I covered it with a delicious almond glaze, just like the one found on almond panettones or colombe. In its simplicity, this cake has a truly Christmas taste and texture!
For this soft Christmas tart, I used a star-shaped cake pan, but you can also make a tree-shaped Christmas cake or other Christmas subjects with the same dough. If you don’t have any of these molds, you can use a star-shaped paper mold or, simply, a classic 22-24 cm cake pan.
It’s very simple to prepare and the result is guaranteed even for those who are not very experienced with cakes and desserts. Since there are no creams, you can also prepare it 1-2 days in advance and store it wrapped in plastic wrap. With this cake, you’ll really impress your guests. You can serve it as it is or accompanied by a classic orange custard or a delicious nougat cream.
Well, let’s move on to the recipe and see how to prepare this delicious almond-glazed Christmas cake. But first, I’ll leave you with other links that might be useful during the holiday season for preparing your meals.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: New Year's, Christmas
- Energy 457.25 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 66.02 (g) of which sugars 47.14 (g)
- Proteins 6.60 (g)
- Fat 20.40 (g) of which saturated 11.02 (g)of which unsaturated 9.12 (g)
- Fibers 1.59 (g)
- Sodium 87.89 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 129 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for preparing the Christmas Star Cake
- 7 oz all-purpose flour
- 6 oz sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 oz butter (or 120 ml of vegetable oil)
- 1/6 cup orange juice
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 1 orange zest (grated)
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3.5 oz candied orange
- 1 egg white
- 3.5 oz sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 20 almonds (whole with skin)
- as needed sugar sprinkles
Tools for preparing the Christmas Star Cake
- Mold star-shaped
- Electric Whisks
- Lemon Grater
- Citrus Juicer
- Blender
Steps to prepare the Christmas Star Cake
Let’s see together how to prepare this delicious almond Christmas cake.
Before starting, take the eggs and butter out of the fridge.
Additionally, you’ll need to shape a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the star-shaped cake pan. To do this, place the pan on a sheet of parchment paper and trace the outline with a pencil, then cut it out, removing the pencil mark. Lightly grease the bottom of the cake pan with a bit of butter and place the parchment paper on it. This way, it won’t move when you pour in the batter. Finally, butter the edges of the cake pan as well.
Now you can proceed with preparing the batter.
First of all, grate the zest of a lemon and an orange and set aside.
From the orange, squeeze the juice to obtain about 1/6 cup.In a bowl, place the grated citrus zests, vanillin, sugar, orange juice, a pinch of salt, the eggs, and the yolk. Mix with electric whisks.
Set aside the egg white that you’ll have left over, as you’ll need it for the glaze preparation.
Add the very soft butter and continue working at medium speed. You should form a cream.
Finally, incorporate the sifted flour and baking powder in several batches and mix again with the electric whisks until obtaining a dense and creamy mixture, very similar in consistency to a “pomade.”
Add the candied orange cubes and manually fold them into the mixture using a spatula, trying to distribute them evenly.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
In a blender, place the whole almonds with skin and sugar. Blend until powdered.
Add the egg white (that you previously set aside during the cake preparation) and the water. Blend for a few seconds: you should obtain a fluid but consistent mixture. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water.
Pour the glaze gently over the cake and spread it out, trying to cover the entire surface.
Finish decorating with whole almonds and sugar sprinkles. Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 35-40 minutes.
Always do the toothpick test before removing the Christmas cake from the oven: if it still comes out wet, cover the cake with an aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes.
Let it cool completely before removing it from the mold.
Your star-shaped Christmas cake is ready to be enjoyed in all its goodness!
Storage:
– The Christmas Star Cake keeps well for several days. You can also prepare it the day before and store it wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
– If there are leftovers, you can freeze it cut into pieces, wrapping each piece in plastic wrap.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Yes, you can use a mild vegetable oil. However, with butter, the flavor of the almond Christmas cake is closer to the taste of panettone.
Can I add anything other than candied orange?
Sure, you can also use candied citron, mixed candied fruits or add some raisins. Likewise, if you don’t like candied fruits, you can omit them. In this case, increase the amount of orange and lemon zest.
What if I don’t have a star-shaped mold?
You can use any mold you prefer. It can also be another Christmas-themed mold or use paper molds for panettone. Alternatively, use a cake pan with a diameter of 22-24 cm.
