Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake (Italian Christmas Cake)

 

Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake (Italian Christmas Cake)

Ingredients

1 large Pandoro cake

2 cups mascarpone (17.5 oz / 500 g)

1 fl oz Vin Santo or your preferred liqueur (30 ml)

1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting (70 g)

1/4 cup pistachios, plus extra for garnish (25 g)

1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate (50 g)

1/2 cup red currants or pomegranate seeds, plus additional for decorating (3.5 oz / 100 g)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone, vin santo, and powdered sugar together for about 1 minute until smooth. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and pistachios, then set the mixture aside.

Slice the pandoro horizontally into five layers from bottom to top.

Spread an even layer of the mascarpone mixture onto each slice of pandoro, sprinkling a few red currants over every layer.

Reassemble the cake by stacking the slices on top of each other, rotating each layer so the star-shaped points do not align—this gives the cake a Christmas tree look as the layers build upward.

Finish by dusting the top with powdered sugar and adding extra red currants and pistachios for decoration.