Celebrating Women's Day

Dear All,

In Italy every year on 8th March we celebrate with a national festivity 'la giornata della donna' (women's day). On that day, it is usual to give women a flower called 'mimosa'. You'll find here the recipe for the Mimosa cake, also used to celebrate this festivity. It’s very easy to prepare and very impressive!

You may cook the Pan di Spagna (sponge cake), or you can buy it.


The ingredients (serving 6) are:
For the Pan di Spagna
150 g sugar
4 eggs
75 g flour (00)
75 g cornstarch or potato starch
A pinch of salt
For the filling
4 yolks
4 tbs sugar
2 tbs flour (00)
2 tbs cornstarch
Vanilla (or vanilla flavour)
½ l milk
150 ml whipped cream
Lemon zest
100 g chocolate (in little pieces)


Preparation
To make the Pan di Spagna, whisk eggs and sugar in a mixer until very very fluffy (8-10 minutes).
Then gently fold in, little by little, the flour and potato or corn starch, sieved together, with a spatula.
Put the mixture in a cake tin (22cm) that have been buttered and floured.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 180°C
Once cooked, allow the cake to cool.
Then cut the cake in 3 parts and keep apart the second one.


Using a small brush soak the cake with Marsala (or another sweet wine or rum or… whatever you have at home. If children are going to eat the cake, soak it with fruit juice (pineapple juice will be perfect!)

In the meanwhile, prepare the filling
Prepare a crema pasticcera (custard) mixing the 4 yolks with the sugar, the flour, the cornstarch, the vanilla and add the cold milk.
Put in a saucepan, heat (remember to keep a low temperature) and whisk until thick. The custard should not boil!!



Allow the custard to cool and then make the Chantilly cream, by mixing (very gently!) the whipped cream with the custard.


Spread a layer of Chantilly cream on top of the cake, spread it with the chocolate in little pieces and cover with the other slice of cake.

Cut the second layer of cake into dices (0.2 - cm in size.. more or less)


Coat the outside of the cake with the remaining cream and spread the cake dices over the top of the cake to cover the entire cake.

Spread the cake with icing sugar (use a sieve!) and put the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

Now.. enjoy it!