A delicious Christmas star: the perfect cake for the holidays! A chocolate and hazelnut cake prepared in a special Christmas mold makes it even more scenic. Perfect to pair with other typical holiday desserts such as the White Chocolate Salami with Coffee and Nuts or delightful Cocoa and Coffee Hazelnut Truffles to celebrate the New Year’s arrival sweetly. My “chocolate and hazelnut star” is a recipe that will win over young and old with its irresistible goodness and festive shape. The preparation is simple but the result will impress your guests: the aroma released during baking will make it impossible to resist. Let’s go through all the steps to create this stellar dessert!
See you in the next recipe and happy new year to all!!!
ALSO TRY:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, New Year's Eve
- Energy 867.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 50.77 (g) of which sugars 39.22 (g)
- Proteins 15.88 (g)
- Fat 68.51 (g) of which saturated 26.61 (g)of which unsaturated 15.44 (g)
- Fibers 7.59 (g)
- Sodium 262.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 176 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
- 7 oz hazelnut flour
- 7 oz sugar
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 5.3 oz butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 sachet baking powder for cakes
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.4 oz hazelnut crunch
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- Saucepan for bain-marie
- Mold star-shaped paper
- Bowl
Christmas Star Cake Recipe
A Christmas cake flavored with chocolate and hazelnuts
Melt the dark chocolate together with the butter in the appropriate bain-marie saucepan (or possibly in the microwave) stirring with a spatula until you obtain a smooth cream.
In a large bowl, break 4 eggs and beat them with the sugar until you obtain a frothy mixture.
Add the melted chocolate with the butter and mix well, then incorporate the hazelnut flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, stir again until you obtain a homogeneous batter.
Pour the batter into the star-shaped cake tin, level the surface, and sprinkle with hazelnut crunch. Bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 30-35 minutes, always do the toothpick test before removing from the oven (if you insert the toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out clean, the cake is cooked). Let cool, dust with powdered sugar, and serve!
Perfect for special occasions, this Christmas Star is a perfect balance of sweetness and crunchiness, thanks to the hazelnut flour that provides a captivating texture and the dark chocolate adding a refined touch. A sprinkle of powdered sugar, hazelnut crunch, and berries will make it even more scenic. Happy holidays to all!
Storage and Tips
Storage: this cake can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days under a glass cloche.
Tips: if you use a non-stick star-shaped mold, remember to butter the cake tin before pouring the batter. This step is not necessary for paper molds.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I make this cake with another type of mold?
Certainly, the batter for this cake is suitable not only for the Christmas holidays. If you want to make it at other times of the year, you can simply use a springform pan.
Can I decorate the Christmas Star differently?
An idea to make this cake even richer is to decorate it with a chocolate glaze (ganache) and red fruits (currants and raspberries). Check my recipe for muffins with chocolate ganache for the steps on preparing the ganache.
