Torta Mimosa for Festa della Donna

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:
• 1 recipe Italian Sponge Cake , made as 2 (9-inch cakes)
• ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
• Sugar, 4 tablespoons
• Sweet citrus liqueur, such as Cointreau or limoncello, 4 tablespoons
• 1 recipe Pastry Cream , chilled until very cold, at least 4 hours
• Sponge Cake - 2 -9" pans
• Butter and flour for the pan
• Eggs, 4 large
• Sugar, 1 cup (8 ounces/225 grams) plus 2 tablespoons
• Egg yolks, 8 large
• 00 flour, 1 7/8 cups (7 ounces/200 grams)
• Potato starch or cornstarch, 1/4 cup (1 ounce/30 grams)
• Pure vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Pastry Cream
• Egg yolks, 8 large
• Sugar, 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces/100 grams)
• All-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (2 ounces/55 grams)
• Milk, 3 cups (24 fluid ounces/720 milliliters)
• Heavy cream, 1 cup (8 fluid ounces/240 milliliters)
• Pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly butter and flour one or two 9- or 10-inch (23- to 25-centimeter) springform cake pans.
Combine the whole eggs and sugar in a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until the mixture quadruples in volume.
Add the egg yolks and beat on high speed for 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick enough to write with. Sift the flour and potato starch gradually into the egg-sugar mixture, incorporating a little at a time, mixing each inclusion of flour delicately with a spatula, scooping from the bottom up, so you do not deflate the eggs. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest until just blended, then divide the batter between the prepared pans.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake. It will dry and set as it cools.
Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
Trim the crusts on one of the cakes so there are no dark parts showing. Carefully slice the cake in half horizontally so you have two layers. Set them aside. Trim the top and side crusts of the second cake, leaving the bottom dark. Carefully slice the cake in half horizontally. Set aside the bottom layer. Slice the remaining layer into 1/4-inch-wide (6-millimeter-wide) strips, then cut the strips into cubes. Set the cubes aside.
Assemble the cake: Put the sugar and 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters) water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Let cool to room temperature.
Put the bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Moisten with one third of the liqueur syrup, then spread with a little less than one third of the pastry cream. Repeat with the next two layers, then spread the remaining pastry cream on the sides of the cake. Press the cake cubes onto the top and sides of the cake. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Serve cold. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for at least 6 weeks.

Pastry Cream
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until creamy and light yellow. Mix in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth.
Put the milk, cream, and vanilla in a saucepan and heat over low heat until bubbles begin to appear around the edge of the pan. Do not boil. Gradually beat in the egg yolk mixture, making sure to beat until there are no lumps. Return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the pastry cream thickens, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. The mixture should be thick, but not stiff. It will solidify as it cools.
Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the surface of the pastry cream so it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
Un Altro Modo
Crema pasticcera al caffè: Add 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder. Crema pasticcera al cioccolato: Add 3 ounces/85 grams grated dark chocolate and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Crema pasticcera al limone: Omit the vanilla and add the grated zest and juice of 1 lemon.