An authentic Italian recipe from our kitchen to yours.
Buon
Appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 pandoro
- 2 pounds mascarpone cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup milk (dairy, soy, almond, etc.)
- 3 cups fresh espresso
- 3 tablespoons sweet rum or triple sec (optional)
- 1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- Powdered sugar, chocolate chips, cookies, candied fruit for decorating
Directions
1.
Remove
the
pandoro
from
its
packaging.
Set
the
packet
of
powdered
sugar
aside.
Place
the
pandoro
on a
cutting
board
and
slice
it
into
1
inch
thick
rounds.
2.
In a
mixing
bowl,
add
the
mascarpone,
vanilla,
1/3
cup
sugar
and
1/4
cup
of
the
milk.
Using
an
electric
mixer,
beat
the
ingredients
until
smooth
and
creamy
(about
the
consistency
of
Greek
yogurt).
If
the
mixture
is
too
thick,
gradually
beat
in
more
milk
until
you
reach
the
desired
consistency.
3.
In a
separate
bowl,
add
the
espresso,
liqueur
and
3
tablespoons
sugar.
Stir
well
and
taste;
stir
in
more
sugar
if
you
prefer
a
sweeter
taste.
4.
To
assemble
the
tree,
place
the
cut
base
of
the
pandoro
on a
cookie
sheet
lined
with
parchment
paper.
5.
Using
a
spoon
or
pastry
brush,
drizzle
2 -
3
tablespoons
of
the
espresso
mixture
onto
the
pandoro
slice.
Make
sure
the
cake
slice
is
lightly
soaked
throughout.
6.
Next,
spread
1/3
cup
of
the
mascarpone
mixture
over
the
soaked
slice
of
pandoro.
7.
Place
the
next
slice
of
pandoro
on
top
of
the
mascarpone
-
situating
its
corners
in
between
the
corners
of
the
base
slice.
Press
the
new
slice
down
lightly
so
that
it
sticks
to
the
mascarpone
beneath
it
and
the
cheese
presses
out
from
the
edges
slightly.
8.
Repeat
steps
5 -
7
until
the
pandoro
has
been
reassembled
and
appears
in
the
shape
of a
Christmas
tree.
9.
Proceed
to
decorate
the
tree
as
desired
with
chocolate
chips,
cookies
and
candied
fruit.
If
you
have
any
mascarpone
left
over,
you
can
place
the
remainder
in a
plastic
zip
lock
bag.
Cut
off
a
small
amount
of
the
corner
from
one
end
of
the
bag
to
create
a
piping
bag.
Pipe
the
mascarpone
around
the
tree
as
you
desire
to
fill
in
gaps
and
attach
decorations
as
necessary.
10.
Place
the
dessert
in
the
refrigerator
overnight
in
order
for
it
to
set.
11.
Remove
the
tree
from
the
refrigerator
an
hour
prior
to
serving.
Cut
the
parchment
paper
around
the
base
of
the
pandoro,
and
gently
slide
the
tree
onto
a
serving
platter
or
cake
stand.
12.
Just
before
serving,
dust
the
tree
with
the
powdered
sugar
packet
by
pouring
a
small
amount
of
the
powdered
sugar
from
the
packet
into
a
mesh
strainer
and
gently
tapping
the
strainer
over
the
tree
to
create
a
dusting
of
sugar
over
the
tree.
