Zuccotto di pandoro (Christmas sponge cake dessert)

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Zuccotto di pandoro (Christmas sponge cake dessert)

Are guests coming to your house again this year for the holidays? Do you already know what recipe will tempt them the most besides the classic pandoro and panettone? We can help you make the difficult choice: pandoro sponge cake! The tempting chocolate coating on the outside hides a soft pandoro cake inside, with a delicate and fragrant ricotta and orange cream. Have your guests sit down and bring to the table this beautiful pandoro sponge cake, a variant of the classic sponge cake, which is perfect for the holidays. If you want to make it even more beautiful, then dust the surface with a snowfall of white powdered sugar just before serving!

If you are looking for other ways to use pandoro, have a look to the following recipes:

Pandoro cake

Pandoro tree

Pandoro tiramisù

Pandoro tiramisù with baileys

Pandoro tiramisù with wild berries

Pandoro stars with eggnog cream

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for a cake mold 7 ¾-inch round (17 cm) and 2 ¾-inch (7 cm) high
Pandoro cake 7 oz (200 g) - thickly-sliced
Powdered sugar to taste - for dusting
For the filling
Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 lb (450 g)
Dark chocolate 0.65 cup (100 g)
Oranges 1 - (peel and juice)
Powdered sugar 0.65 cup (100 g)
For the topping
Dark chocolate ¾ cup (140 g)
Heavy cream ¾ cup (140 g)
Preparation

How to prepare Zuccotto di pandoro (Christmas sponge cake dessert)

To prepare the pandoro sponge cake, start with the filling. If your ricotta is too rich in whey, then drain it in a colander and store it in the refrigerator for about an hour. After the time has passed, change or dry the bowl and strain the ricotta cheese 1. Then add the powdered sugar and mix it in 2. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate 3

and add it to the ricotta 4. After stirring, finish the mixture by grating the orange peel (set the orange aside, because you will need the juice later) 5. Stir one last time 6 and set the filling aside.

Now cut the pandoro cake: eliminate the top slice (the canopy), then cut four slices about 2/5 inch (1 cm) thick 7, setting aside the smallest piece, which will be served whole 8. Divide the two central slices in half 9,

while the last one, the largest of the four, can be cut to obtain a disc: just use a pastry ring with a diameter of 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm) 10. Take a semi-spherical sponge cake mold, place the smallest slice left whole on the bottom. Then coat the walls of the mold so the tips of the slices cut in half fit together 11. If necessary, you can rearrange them. Pour the ricotta cream inside 12

and level the surface carefully. Then close it with the round slice you cut earlier, 13 press gently to compact everything together 14 and wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours 15.

After this time has passed, take the pandoro sponge cake out, remove the wrap and turn it upside down carefully on a grill placed on a plate 16. Squeeze and filter the orange juice: only 2 tbsp (30 g) are needed. Brush the surface of the zuccotto 17 then put it back in the refrigerator without covering it 18.

In the meantime, prepare the topping: cut the chocolate and melt it in a bain-marie 19. When it has melted, turn off the heat and add the cream, pouring it little by little and stirring continuously 20. Then take your sponge cake and cover it with the chocolate cream, letting it drip on the plate placed under the grill 21.

Use a spatula to even out the thickness 22 and sprinkle with a little powered sugar, if desider 23: your pandoro sponge cake is ready to be served 24!

Storage

Pandoro sponge cake can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 day, ideally covered with a glass cloche. Freezing is not recommended.

Tips

If you do not like orange juice you can replace it with another type of juice or milk, perhaps flavored with cinnamon! If you prefer alternatives to chocolate, opt for diced candied fruit or chopped nuts. Mascarpone cheese can also be used instead of ricotta cheese, but be careful, it could be a bit too sweet!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.