Preparation

• Use room temperature eggs. Put the eggs, sugar, and salt in a mixer with whisks and beat for about 20 minutes until the mixture is swollen and frothy. When you take a bit and let it fall on the surface, it should not sink but leave a trail.

  

• At this point, sift the flours two or three times to aerate them and add them along with the vanilla to the egg mixture. Mix very gently with a spatula until the ingredients are well combined.

  

• Butter and flour a 10-inch diameter pan (I used a springform pan), pour the mixture inside, being careful not to knock it, to avoid losing the air. Bake at 320-340°F for about 45/50 minutes. Always do the toothpick test.

  

• For the custard, I tried a new method: the volcano method. Put the eggs in the mixer with the sugar and beat them for about 15 minutes. At this point, add the flour, sifted at least twice, and mix gently with a spatula.

  

• Heat the milk in a fairly large saucepan, just before it reaches boiling point, pour the egg mixture into the milk and wait for it to boil again. You’ll notice puffs like volcano lava, now mix with the whisk until it thickens, continue for a few minutes until you get a smooth mixture.

  

• Turn off the heat and put the cream in a bowl, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out on the surface.

  With these doses, you will get about 670 g of custard.

  

• Prepare before assembling the cake. Put the canned peaches in a colander and let the syrup drain well, you should get 400 g. Place them in a bowl and puree them with an immersion blender. In a bowl with cold water, put the gelatin and let it soften for a few seconds. Take two spoonfuls of peach puree, place them in a container, add the squeezed gelatin, and microwave it for a few seconds. Mix well and add it to the remaining peach puree.

  

• Put the water and sugar in a bowl and microwave for a few seconds, stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved. Then add the lemon juice and set aside.

• Cover the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with plastic wrap. Now place the pitted and halved cherries on the bottom, creating a design of your choice. I wrote the number 79 since I made the cake for my mom’s 79th birthday party.

  Now pour the peach jelly, trying to cover the entire bottom well and not move the cherries that make up the design.

  Set to rest in the freezer for about half an hour, ensuring it has solidified before proceeding.

  

• Put the custard in a bowl with the ricotta and use a mixer to blend the ingredients well.

  At this point, take the pan out of the freezer, make a layer with half of the custard and ricotta mixture, and refrigerate.

  

• Meanwhile, cut the sponge cake into two disks of equal height, if you can, remove the top and bottom parts as they tend to be a bit too hard. Position the first disk on a plate and soak both the top and bottom with half of the syrup. I used a kitchen brush, but you could use a bottle with a perforated lid or a teaspoon.

  

• Take the pan again, place the first sponge cake disk on top, and cover it with the pitted and halved cherries.

  

• On top, make a layer with the remaining custard and ricotta.

  

• Place the second sponge cake disk on a plate and soak both the top and bottom with the remaining half of the syrup. Close the cake with this last layer. Refrigerate for at least one night.

  

• The next morning, open the springform ring, place a plate on the bottom of the cake, flip it, and remove the plastic wrap from the surface.

  I decorated with blueberries and wafer leaves.

  

• And happy birthday wishes!!