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Cavallo di San Martino
Shortbread horse and rider
Cavallo di San Martino: Venetian shortbread horse and rider for St Martin's Day
On 11 November in Venice, children go from shop to shop banging pots and singing for San Martino, and every pastry window fills with big shortbread horses carrying the saint on horseback, cut out, iced and studded with sweets and chocolates. The biscuit is a plain, buttery pasta frolla that holds its shape well, and the fun is all in the decoration, so it's a perfect baking afternoon with children. Chef's tip: chill the cut shapes for 15 minutes before baking so the horse's legs and sword keep sharp edges.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the biscuit
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 5 ½ oz cold unsalted butterdiced
- 4 oz caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For decorating
- 7 oz icing sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ¾ oz dark chocolatemelted
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Rub the 5 ½ oz cold unsalted butter into the 10 ½ oz plain flour and 4 oz caster sugar until like crumbs, then mix in the 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a smooth dough. Flatten, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Draw a horse with a rider, about 25 cm tall, on card and cut it out. Roll the dough 6 mm thick between sheets of baking paper and cut around the template; make 2 large or 4 smaller horses. A common mistake is rolling it too thin, which makes the legs snap.
15 minStep 3: Chill the shapes on the tray for 15 minutes, heat the oven to 350°F and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden at the edges and firm. Cool completely on the tray.
20 minStep 4: Mix the 7 oz icing sugar with the 2 tbsp lemon juice to a thick icing. Pipe or spread it over the saddle, cloak and mane, outline with the melted 1 ¾ oz dark chocolate and press on the 3 ½ oz small sweets, sugared almonds and chocolate buttons before the icing sets.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cavallo di San Martino take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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