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Desserts

Baci di Dama Cake

Baci di dama cake: two crumbly hazelnut shortcrust rounds filled with hazelnut spread. An easy step-by-step recipe with resting, baking times and tips.
Recipe Baci di Dama Cake
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 20 minutes
  • Cooking 20 minutes
  • Servings for 8 people (one 20-22 cm pan)

Baci di dama cake is the supersized version of one of the best-loved cookies of Piedmontese pastry, the hazelnut sandwich cookies whose name means “lady’s kisses”: two rounds of hazelnut shortcrust, crumbly and slightly domed, joined by a generous layer of hazelnut spread. It comes from the idea of turning a little teatime treat into a dessert to share, while keeping intact what makes baci di dama unmistakable: the dough rich in butter and nuts, the golden surface crossed by small cracks and the soft chocolate heart.

The secret of perfect results lies in two details you should never overlook: resting the dough in the fridge, which lets the butter firm up so the rounds puff up while baking instead of flattening, and the oven temperature, which must stay steady and moderate to dry the shortcrust without burning the hazelnuts. It is a dessert with no complicated rising, suitable even for those trying their hand at cookie baking for the first time, and it fits a thousand occasions: from Sunday breakfast to a birthday buffet, all the way to the Christmas holiday dessert tray.

Ingredients for 8 people (one 20-22 cm pan)

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Method

  1. To make the baci di dama cake, start with the dough: put the softened butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl if you are working by hand, and beat them with the paddle until smooth and creamy.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 1: creaming the butter and sugar
  2. Add the hazelnut flour and keep mixing, then add the egg yolk, the egg white, the pinch of salt and the vanilla extract, working the dough only as long as it takes to combine all the ingredients well.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 2: adding the hazelnut flour, egg yolk and egg white
  3. Sift the all-purpose flour together with the baking powder, then add them to the mixture. Mix until the dry ingredients are completely absorbed and you have a firm, slightly soft shortcrust.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 3: mixing in the flour and baking powder
  4. Shape the dough into a block, flatten it slightly, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 40 minutes. This step is essential: without resting, the rounds would stay flat instead of puffing up slightly as they bake.
  5. Meanwhile, line the base of a 20-22 cm (8-9 inch) cake pan with parchment paper and use it as a template. Preheat a conventional oven to 170 °C (340 °F).
  6. Take the dough, divide it into two equal parts and roll out each half with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1 cm (1/2 inch), then cut out two rounds the same diameter as the pan.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 6: cutting out the rounds of hazelnut shortcrust
  7. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheet and bake them at 170 °C (340 °F) for about 20 minutes, until the surface is golden and slightly cracked. Take them out and let them cool completely on the baking sheet, because while hot they are very fragile and would break.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 7: the baked rounds, golden and slightly cracked
  8. Soften the hazelnut spread for a few seconds in the microwave or in a double boiler, to make it more fluid and easier to spread.
  9. Place the first round on a serving plate, cover it with plenty of spread, leveling it with a spatula and leaving a small border free, then set the second round on top, pressing gently.
    Baci di Dama Cake, step 9: spreading the hazelnut spread on the first round
  10. Serve the baci di dama cake as it is or decorate it as you like with mini baci di dama, drizzles of melted chocolate, chopped hazelnuts or a dusting of powdered sugar. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

The most classic version is filled with melted dark chocolate, which gives a sharper contrast with the sweetness of the shortcrust, but you can also use milk chocolate, white chocolate or a pistachio cream. Replacing the hazelnut flour with almond flour gives a more delicate, slightly paler dough, while a mix of hazelnuts and almonds in equal parts gives a balanced result. For a cocoa variation add 20 g of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough and reduce the all-purpose flour by the same amount. With the same dough you can make baci di dama in their traditional size: shape balls of about 8 g, bake them at 170 °C (340 °F) for 12 or 13 minutes and sandwich them in pairs with a little dab of spread. A dusting of powdered sugar and a few chopped toasted hazelnuts on top complete the presentation.

Tips

If you can’t find hazelnut flour you can make it at home by blending toasted hazelnuts with part of the sugar in the recipe: the sugar absorbs the oil released by the nuts and keeps them from turning into a paste. Raw hazelnuts should always be toasted in the oven at 160 °C (320 °F) for about 10 minutes, both to remove the skins and to bring out their aroma, and they must cool completely before being ground. Work the butter when it is soft but still pliable, never melted, otherwise the dough will be greasy and hard to roll out. Stick to 170 °C (340 °F) in a conventional oven and check doneness by the even golden color and the small cracks on the surface, which are the sign of the right crumbly texture. Fill only when cool, because the spread would tend to melt and drip from the edges.

Storage

Baci di dama cake keeps at room temperature for about a week, stored in a cake tin with a lid or under a glass dome, away from heat and moisture. Avoid the fridge, which hardens the shortcrust and dulls the filling. The two baked rounds, not yet filled, can be made ahead and kept in a tin for 4 or 5 days, or frozen once baked and well wrapped for up to 2 months. The raw dough also freezes well: shape it into a block, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it thaw in the fridge before rolling it out.

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