The CHRISTMAS CREAM TART is an indulgent, elegant and spectacular dessert, perfect for the Christmas holidays. It is composed of sablé pastry bases (crumbly but softer than classic shortcrust pastry, as it contains baking powder) layered with two creams: a dark chocolate ganache and a pistachio whipped cream.
It can be made, as in this case, in a star shape, or in a different form (a tree, a circle, a number, a letter—whatever you prefer) to make the dessert even more personal. For the final decoration, go wild using fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), meringues, macarons, chocolates, edible flowers, sprinkles and other personalized decorations.
The result is a cake that not only impresses with its refined appearance but wins you over with a balanced flavor and a combination of crunchy and creamy textures. To prepare the Christmas cream tart you can bake the bases the day before, then fill and decorate it just before serving so it shows off at its best. In short, a beautiful, spectacular dessert that isn’t too difficult to prepare.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 686.06 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 66.23 (g) of which sugars 36.67 (g)
- Proteins 7.54 (g)
- Fat 44.50 (g) of which saturated 14.48 (g)of which unsaturated 8.45 (g)
- Fibers 2.52 (g)
- Sodium 84.92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 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
- 2/3 cup butter (soft)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (medium at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds from one pod)
- to taste salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ("00" flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup heavy cream (liquid) (about 250 ml)
- 5.6 oz dark chocolate (60-69%)
- 3/4 cup sweetened whipping cream (non-dairy), for whipping (about 200 ml)
- 1/4 cup pistachio spread
- 6 candied cherries
- colored sprinkles
- to taste candied orange
- chopped pistachios
YOU WILL NEED FOR THE CHRISTMAS CREAM TART
- 1 Mold star-shaped
- 1 Saucepan
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Hand mixer
- 2 Piping bags
PREPARATION CHRISTMAS CREAM TART
Preparing the CHRISTMAS CREAM TART is very easy, but it requires some time to complete the different components.
Pour the cream into a saucepan and place it over low heat. Make sure it does not boil.
Meanwhile, finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a bowl.
Once the cream is hot, turn off the heat, pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until you obtain a smooth, glossy cream (ganache).Leave to cool at room temperature and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours so it chills thoroughly.
After resting, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it softens. Then whip it for 5-6 minutes with the beaters, until it becomes fluffy and lighter in color.
First, take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for 1 hour.
Work it with a fork, add the sugar and continue working until you obtain a creamy texture.
Add the egg, a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract or the seeds from a pod. Mix until you have a homogeneous mixture.
Add the flour and incorporate it well until you obtain a dough.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest for 2 hours.
Roll the sablé between two sheets of parchment to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Using a star-shaped cutter about 8–8.5 inches in diameter, cut three stars. With a round cutter, also cut out the central part.
If you don’t have the cutter, I recommend drawing or printing the shape on an A4 sheet and cutting it out fairly precisely.
Transfer them to the freezer for 30 minutes. This way they will keep their shape during baking.
Bake the stars in a preheated static oven at 320°F for 18 minutes. Once lightly golden, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.
With the leftover sablé scraps you can create Christmas cookies to use as decoration.
Place the very cold whipping cream in a bowl and whip it with the beaters. Add the pistachio spread and fold it in well.
Transfer the ganache and the pistachio cream to two piping bags fitted with plain round tips.
Take a serving plate, put a little cream on the base of the sablé disc that will be the base and position it on the plate so the dessert stays firmly in place.
Cover the surface of the star with cream using many swirls placed side by side.
Place the second star on top of the dollops of cream and cover it with cream as well.Then close with the third star and the remaining creams.
Decorate your Christmas cream tart with candied cherries, sablé cookies, candied orange and chopped pistachios.
Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
STORAGE
The fully assembled and decorated Christmas cream tart can be stored in the refrigerator for 1–2 days. After this period, the base may absorb moisture from the cream and lose its crunch.
If you use fresh decorations such as fruit or edible flowers, avoid adding them too far in advance as they tend to deteriorate quickly. Add them shortly before serving.
If you use fresh decorations such as fruit or edible flowers, avoid adding them too far in advance as they tend to deteriorate quickly. Add them shortly before serving.
