Christmas Star Cake

MAKES 1 STAR-SHAPED CAKE (FROM A STAR-SHAPED CAKE PAN THAT HOLDS APPROXIMATELY 40 FLUID OZ [1.2 LITERS])

For the dough: 1 cup (230 g) butter, 1 cup + 2½ tbsp (230 g) sugar, 1 tsp (8 g) bourbon vanilla sugar, 1 pinch salt, 4 eggs, 2 cups (200 g) ground hazelnuts, 2 cups + 3 tbsp (270 g) flour, (70 g) starch, 1 package baking powder, 2¾ oz (75 g) chocolate chips

For the glaze: 8¾ oz (250 g) good-quality dark chocolate glaze

Additional: butter and flour for the pan, wooden skewers

Note: If you would like to approximate German baking powder you can mix readily-available cream of tartar with baking soda in a 2:1 ratio.

Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C), unless you have a convection oven, in which case preheat to 320°F (160°C), or a gas oven, in which case preheat to level 3. Butter and flour the star-shaped cake pan.

Mix butter, ½ cup + 1 tbsp (115 g) sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a bowl and beat until creamy, using a hand mixer. Crack the eggs one after another and separate the egg whites from the yolks. Collect the egg whites in a small bowl and slowly mix the yolk in with the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Add the other ½ cup + 1 tbsp (115 g) sugar to the egg whites and beat until stiff.

In a third mixing bowl, mix together nuts, flour, starch, and baking powder, and then stir that mixture into the dough. Carefully fold in the beaten egg yolks and chocolate chips. While doing that, stir as little as possible! Then fill the cake pan with dough, making sure to spread it out as evenly as possible.

Place the cake on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 60 minutes. Poke a hole in the middle of the cake with a toothpick. If the dough sticks to it, bake for another 5 minutes. If not, the cake can be taken out carefully. Let the cake rest in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then flip it over onto a cooling rack and let cool fully.

Melt the chocolate glaze according to the instructions on the package, pour it evenly over the cake, and let harden in a cool place.

If desired, you can decorate the cake with four red Christmas tree candles to celebrate the season.

 

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