Steps

• In a saucepan pour the milk, the vanilla extract (or vanillin) and the zest of one lemon. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the milk to just under a boil.

  In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is light and frothy. Add the sifted cornstarch and mix until it is completely incorporated.

  Slowly pour the hot milk into the mixture, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Pour everything back into a clean pot, continue stirring over medium heat until the cream thickens and begins to form bubbles on the surface; this will take about 5 minutes.

  When the cream reaches the right consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer it to a cold glass bowl (that you placed in the freezer just before starting the cream preparation). Stir briefly to lower the temperature, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.

  Let the pastry cream cool to room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before using.

• Preheat the oven to 356°F and butter and flour a 9.5-inch (24 cm) diameter cake pan. I usually prepare just one sponge cake, but if you prefer a taller cake (more than two layers), I recommend making two.

  In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs with the sugar and the 3 tsp of hot water (this little trick helps the eggs whip better!) using electric beaters or a stand mixer. The mixture should become very frothy and triple in volume.

  Add the pinch of salt and the vanilla extract.

  Sift the flour over the surface of the mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula, being careful not to deflate the batter.

  Pour the batter into the pan and level the surface with a spatula. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the surface is golden and the sponge cake is cooked through.

  Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.

  Once cooled, cut the sponge cake into 4 layers; from the two central layers remove the crust with a knife and crumble them into many small cubes to use for covering your mimosa cake.

  

• Finally, whip the heavy cream for 4-5 minutes in a chilled bowl (this will help the cream whip even better).

  Prepare the chantilly cream. After three hours, take the chilled pastry cream from the refrigerator; after resting it will be firm—don’t worry—beat it with a whisk to make it smooth. Add the whipped cream and continue to mix to incorporate it well into the cream.

• In a small saucepan combine the water, sugar and the liqueur.

  Place the saucepan over the stove and, stirring continuously, heat the syrup until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.

• Place the first layer of sponge cake on a plate and soak the surface with the prepared syrup. Generously cover with chantilly cream.

  Take the last remaining layer of sponge cake, turn it upside down, soak the surface, flip it and place it on top of the cream.

  Cover the entire cake with the remaining chantilly cream, and sprinkle all over with the sponge cake cubes prepared earlier.

  Refrigerate and let rest for at least two hours.