Mimosa Cake

As usual, there are a few differing stories about the origin of Torta di Mimosa, but none of them preceding the 50s so it seems to be a relatively new dessert. Some dedicate its creation to a pastry chef called Adelmo Renzi who exhibited it at a competition in Sanremo – the “town of flowers” – in 1962 and won. Designed to look like the mimosa flowers that arrive in spring and are given to women throught Italy on International Woman’s Day, the Mimosa cake is now a traditional dessert made and eaten on March 8th to celebrate.

Despite it’s long(ish) list of ingredients, this is an incredibly light cake – thin layers of fluffy pan di spagna, lemony custard and cloud-like meringue. It’s also not as daunting as it first appears (I promise) and most of the steps can be done in advance and assembled before your guests arrive. My version is a little different to traditional recipes with its layers of meringue. The idea came about as I separated the eggs for my custard. Everyone knows the most obvious thing to do with leftover whites is to make meringue and this is what came of it – an experiment that worked. Don’t be phased if your meringue breaks or feels very soft. The first time I made this I thought it would be a disaster, the meringue squashed to nothing under the weight of the other layers but it actually holds up really well, even after a few hours of sitting pretty, waiting to be eaten. This cake will serve 8-10.

For the custard:
4 large egg yolks
50g cornstarch 
450ml whole milk 
150ml double cream 
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract 
1 lemon

For the sponge cake:
4 large eggs
120g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g 00 or plain flour
60g cornstarch

For the meringue:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
20g corn flour, sieved
½ lemon

For the syrup: 
100ml white rum
100ml elderflower syrup
50ml lemon juice

To assemble:
130ml double cream 
15g caster sugar
Icing sugar, for dusting

Make the custard:

Put the yolks and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk vigorously into a paste. Set aside. Heat the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla gently in a pan, adding the zest of the lemon (a Microplane or fine grater is best for this) and a pinch of salt. Take a ladleful of the warm mixture and add it to the yolks. Whisk until smooth then pour this back into the pan. Cook on low-medium for 6-8 minutes, whisking continuously, until thickened and coating the back of the spoon – like pastry cream. It will look like nothing’s happening then it will thicken quite quickly so you need to watch it carefully. Take off the heat and cover with cling film, making sure it touches the surface of the custard directly to prevent a skin forming. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the cake:

Pre-heat the oven to 170oC (fan). Grease and line two loose-bottomed 20cm (9in) cake tins.

Put the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat for 10-15 minutes until thick, glossy and leaving ribbons. It’s important to whisk for this long as there is no other raising agent in the cake so we need lots of air in the eggs. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp vanilla extract and pulse to combine. 

Sieve the flour and cornstarch into the eggs then fold together gently until just combined. Divide between your two prepared tins then put in the middle of the oven for 18 minutes, until golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling fully on a wire rack.

Make the meringue:

Keep the oven at 170oC for now. Line 3 baking trays with greaseproof paper, using the cake tins to draw on 3 circles.

Put the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and use an electric whisk to beat to soft peaks – this should only take a minute or so. With the beaters still running, start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time – the whites should thicken and go lovely and glossy. Sprinkle the corn flour in then pulse just enough to combine. Use a Microplane or fine grater to zest the ½ lemon into the whites then squeeze 1 teaspoon of juice and add that too – fold in until just combined.

Dollop the meringue equally between the three circles you have drawn on the paper. Use a spatula to spread it out nicely to the edges of the circles. Put them in the oven then immediately turn the heat down from 170oC to 130oC (fan) and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Make the syrup:

Put all of the ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to cool.

To assemble:

The cake is best assembled a couple of hours before you want to serve it to let everything mingle. 

When you’re ready to assemble the cake. Whip the double cream with the sugar until thick and airy, being careful not to over-whip. Take the custard from the fridge and whisk vigorously. Take 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream and add it to the custard, folding it through to loosen. Continue like this until all of the cream and custard are combined. Set aside.

Use a large serrated knife to trim the dark surfaces of both cakes to reveal the light, fluffy middle. Slice both cakes through the middle so you have 4 thin pieces of cake. Cut one piece into small cubes of approx. 5mm and put in a bowl for later.

Smear a tablespoon of custard onto yout plate to act as glue. Take one piece of cake and place it in the center of your serving plate. Spoon and brush 1/3 of the syrup over the surface of the cake. Use a spatula to help you lift up one of the meringues and place it on top. Don’t worry if it cracks a bit – it will all be covered in the end. Dollop around 1/3 of the custard cream on the top, spreading it out to the edge with a spatula. Repeat these layers once more: cake, syrup, meringue and cream. Then the third layer goes: cake, syrup and meringue. Dollop the remaining cream over the top. Finally, pile the cake cubes on top - the dollops of cream should help them stick. If you are not eating the cake immediately, keep it in the fridge until about half an hour before you intend to serve. Before serving, dust generously with icing sugar.

This is lovely as it is but as strawberries begin to make their first appearance, I like to macerate them and serve a spoonful on the side of each slice. To do this, quarter approx. 600g strawberries (stems removed) and put in a bowl, sprinkle over 2 heaped tbsp of caster sugar and the juice of half a lemon (a little of the zest too, if you like). Leave to sit for a minimum of 1 hour (at room temperature) or longer, until nice and juicy. 

MAKE AHEAD NOTES:

You can make the custard, cake and meringue all ahead of time. 

Prepare the custard and cover it as directed. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Prepare the cakes as directed. Once cool, wrap well in cling film and store in a cool place for up to 3 days or freeze. Defrost fully before proceeding with the recipe.

The meringue can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container.