THE FESTIVAL CARNET
Vanilla Christmas Cake with Chocolate Trees
An easy-to-share round cake, covered in vanilla cream and three chocolate flat fir trees for a festive table.
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A fairytale decor can remain very simple: a low cake, an ivory cream and three small chocolate triangles. This original presentation keeps reasonable dimensions, without mounted piece or sculpture. The triangles remain small to hold for a few minutes on the cream at the time of service.
Make a cake of 18 cm and let it cool before the cover. Install it on a stable dish in the center of the table only with dessert; the cream must wait in the refrigerator. Candles, garlands and decorative branches remain separate from the cake and do not serve as a food carrier.
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The preparation step by step
Prepare the mold
Butter the mold 18 cm and covers its bottom with a baking paper disc. Preheat the oven to 170 °C rotating heat. Melt 100 g of butter and leave to cool.
Whisk the eggs
Mix two eggs and 120 g of sugar for two minutes, until the mixture is clearer. Add 80 ml of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla.
Fold in dry ingredients
Mix 150 g of flour and 6 g of baking powder, then add them to the egg mixture. Whisk briefly to obtain a dough without dry flour.
Pour the butter
Add the warm melted butter to the fillet, mixing. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to homogenize without long whipping.
Bake the cake
Pour into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Check with a skewer in the center: it must come out without liquid paste. Extend for five minutes if necessary, monitoring the coloration.
Let cool
Wait ten minutes and then unmold on a wire rack. Remove the paper and let it cool completely, at least an hour. Then place the cake on its serving plate.
Draw the trees
Melt 60 g of dark chocolate gently. On baking paper, draw six solid triangles 4 cm high and 3 cm of base, 2 mm thick, with a hint of chocolate under each. Provide three spare parts. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Whip the cream
Whisk 200 ml of very cold cream with 100 g of mascarpone, 25 g of icing sugar and a spoon of vanilla. Start slowly and then accelerates moderately; stops when the cream forms stable grooves.
Simply covers
Spread the cream on the top and sides of the cold cake. Keep soft traces of spatula, without looking for a perfect cylinder. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before finishing.
Dress in service
Take off three small chocolate fir trees and plant their tip in the cream on top, spacing them out. Place the dish on a stable surface and serve immediately. If the room is hot, lay the triangles flat: the decor remains pretty and holds better.
Conservation. Store the covered cake in the refrigerator at 4°C or less and consumes within 24 hours after cover. The biscuit alone can be prepared the day before and packaged once cold.
Recipe proposal with quantities and step by step. Times vary depending on the material: follow also the markers of texture and cooking.
The benchmarks for success
Table decor
Take the cake out for dessert. A table center filled with cream is not designed to stay the whole meal at room temperature.
Discreet trees
A height of 4 cm is enough. Very high triangles would require more thickness and would be more fragile.
Questions Before You Start
Is this a difficult cake design?
No, the finish is voluntarily flexible and domestic. A spatula and flat triangles are enough.
Can I prepare the sets in advance?
Yes, up to two days, in a cool, dry box, separated by baking paper.
How to get an original presentation without accessories?
Arrange the three fir trees in a small group offset on the cream. The pastry materials and the silhouette are enough.
Baking tips for this recipe
- Preheat the oven according to the plug and prepare the mold before mixing the last ingredients.
- Uses the dimensions and cooking mode indicated: a higher or wider mold changes the cooking of the center.
- Follow the visual cues of step by step in addition to the duration. Respect the intended cooling before unmoulding or decorating.
Substitutions and variations
To replace a main ingredient, choose another sheet designed with the one you want to use. Changing the proportions of fat, sugar or liquid can change the hold of the dessert.
Keep the type of chocolate provided for the structure or ganache. Switching from dark chocolate to white chocolate changes the balance: the quantities do not transpose directly.
More treats for your Christmas table
Recipes that share ingredients or the same preparation family.