Christmas Star

The Christmas Star Cake is a wonderful choice to bring a touch of magic to your kitchen during the winter holidays. With an intense orange flavor and a presentation that will impress anyone, this quick and simple dessert will become the star of your festive table.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 8

Ingredients:
- 200 g flour
- 150 g sugar
- 100 g butter (at room temperature)
- 3 eggs
- 100 ml fresh orange juice
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 1 packet baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar for decoration

To start, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will help achieve a smooth and fluffy texture. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and in the meantime, prepare a springform cake pan greased with butter and lined with flour or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, begin by beating the butter with the sugar until the mixture becomes creamy and light in color. This is when the sugar will dissolve well, contributing to the cake's fluffiness. Add the eggs one by one, continuing to mix. Each egg should be fully incorporated before adding the next one.

Once the eggs are incorporated, add the orange juice and zest. The fresh aroma of the orange will add flavor, and the zest will provide a pleasant texture. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and gradually fold them into the butter mixture, alternating with the orange juice. Mix until the ingredients are well combined, but avoid overmixing to prevent a dense cake.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and level the surface with a spatula. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It is important not to open the oven door in the first 25 minutes, as this may cause the cake to collapse.

After the cake is baked, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack. When the cake is completely cool, dust it with powdered sugar for a festive appearance.

To add a personal touch, you can serve the cake with warm chocolate sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which will perfectly complement the orange flavor. Also, if you want a more indulgent version, you can replace some of the flour with cocoa to create an orange-flavored chocolate cake.

This Christmas Star Cake is not just a dessert, but an experience that will bring joy and warmth to the hearts of your loved ones. Enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee, and cherish the moments spent together!

The pan is greased with margarine and sprinkled with flour. I then prepared the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, and orange zest. All are whipped for 5 minutes until fluffy. The flour is sifted and gradually added to the egg mixture. The butter is cut into pieces and incorporated into the dough. The dough is poured into the mold, smoothed out, and baked for 40-45 minutes. Once baked, it is allowed to cool. I only found whole orange jam, which I blended. The star is cut in half horizontally, and the first layer is spread with jam and liqueur, warmed beforehand. The second layer is placed on top. Here I was supposed to make the glaze and decorate the star with chocolate flakes and sugar stars (mix sugar with 3 tablespoons of water and fill small star molds; let them harden and then remove them to decorate the cake), but I wanted a snowy star with Christmas decorations: candles made from oranges! The Christmas Star recipe was proposed by Sava Laura on the recipe forum. It is left to cool for a while, after which the Christmas Star cake can be served.

 Ingredients: 4 eggs, 120 g sugar, 1 packet of vanilla sugar, 2 teaspoons of orange zest, 120 g flour, 60 g butter, 100 g orange jam, 1 tablespoon of orange liqueur, 300 g chocolate glaze, white and cocoa chocolate flakes for decoration, 200 g fine crystallized sugar.

 Tags:  christmas cookies christmas recipes orange cake simple cakes