SCRUMPTIOUS PANDORO

Dessert

Pandoro is the other typical Italian cake for Christmas. Its name means "golden bread", it has no fruits and comes with a bag of confectioner's sugar. Its texture is so light that this cake will melt in your mouth.
Prepare this cake at least 1-2 hours before serving it, in order to allow all flavors to combine.

For custard:
4 eggs
4 tbsp Italian 00 flour
4 tbsp sugar
4 cups milk

1 bar dark Italian chocolate (about 3 oz)

1 Pandoro

1 cup crumbled amaretti cookies

1/2 cup chopped almonds


First of all, prepare the custard. Warm milk without letting it boil. In a saucepan, with heavy bottom, combine sugar, flour and eggs, whisking to prevent knots.

On low-medium heat add the warm milk in a slow stream, always whisking and bring to boil, whisking continuously; it will take about 5-8 minutes (the warmer the milk, the quicker the cooking). Never stop stirring, otherwise your custard will stick to the bottom and burn, giving it an unpleasant taste.

Divide the custard evenly in 2 parts, add chocolate to one of them and let it melt. Set aside and allow it to cool down to room temperature.

Mix chopped almonds and crumbled amaretti.

Slice Pandoro horizontally in 6 parts.

Arrange Pandoro bottom on a big serving platter, top with custard and sprinkle with the almond-amaretti mix, top with another slice of pandoro (retaining the shape), chocolate custard, almond-amaretti mix, and repeat until you finish the pandoro slices. End with Pandoro top. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving it.

Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar right before serving it (confectioner's sugar is inside the Pandoro box).

- You can use a mascarpone based custard.
- You can mix some sugar-free cocoa powder to the confectioner's sugar and some chopped hazelnuts to the almond-amaretti mix.