Preparation

• 

• Break 3 eggs into a bowl, add 100 g of sugar and using a whisk mixer beat for no less than 5-6 minutes (by the clock). If you have the patience to reach 10 minutes it’s even better, but with 5 or 6 minutes, you get a sufficiently frothy mixture.

  Sift 100 g of flour with half a teaspoon of baking powder and while still mixing, incorporate it into the egg mixture.

  Cover the oven tray with a sheet of baking paper and pour the mixture onto it.

  This time I slightly buttered the baking paper, it’s not something I usually do but with this fat-free sponge, it can be useful.

  Level the mixture with a spatula or the back of a spoon to make it even on the surface, trying to make it as rectangular as possible (consider spreading it as a rectangle of, more or less, 10×14 inches).

  Bake at 355°F for 15 minutes.

  Leave to cool on a rack then remove the baking paper.

  While the sponge bakes, proceed with making the second mixture, repeating the previous instructions.

• After removing the first sponge from the oven and placing the second one in, to optimize the work, you can whip the cream, starting with the first 250 g (for the filling) which I recommend whipping without adding sugar.

  After whipping the cream, place it in the fridge and proceed to moisten the sponge.

  Pour the Strega liqueur into a glass and dilute it with water.

  The 3 oz of liqueur + 3/4 cup of water in the ingredient list are sufficient for both sponge layers to achieve a moist but not overly soaked sponge.

  Gently detach the baking paper from the first layer of sponge.

  Place the first layer of sponge on the plate or tray where the cake will be served later.

  Usually, I place the sponge upside down (i.e., with the side that was in contact with the baking paper facing up), as it absorbs the soaking better.

  Soak the first layer of sponge.

  Remove the second sponge from the oven and detach the baking paper, place the sponge (turned upside down) on the just-removed baking paper.

  Soak the second layer of sponge.

  Place the second soaked sponge layer in the freezer (transport it with the baking paper).

  The reason for this freezer trick is that – in my experience – the moistened sponge can become too soft (especially if you’ve waited too long before moving it, or if it’s been soaked too much) and can break when you try to move it. Ten minutes in the freezer will firm it up just enough to place it properly over the cream without breaking.

  Proceed with the filling.

• If not done previously, whip the cream (250 g without sugar).

• Spread the jam over the first layer of sponge cake.

  Level the jam well, then spread the cream over the jam.

  Remove the second layer of sponge from the freezer and gently place it on the cream layer.

  

• Whip the remaining cream, this time sweetening it with two tablespoons of powdered sugar, and spread it over the cake, covering it completely.

  To cover the sides, I used a piping bag, but since it was my son’s birthday cake, I avoided making additional “fancy swirls” and limited myself to a minimal decoration (I was also running late and didn’t have time to do more! 😀 ).

  But you know by now, high-level decorations aren’t my forte! 😀 If I ever take a pastry course, then maybe I’ll reconsider my self-critical judgment. In the meantime, I’m content with the minimal creativity I have, which I often talk about without shame on these pages. If you’re already familiar with my cakes published here on the blog, you know which cakes I’m referring to! 😀

  The decorations I’m suggesting today are two:

  a chocolate decoration, made very simply using a small amount of chocolate ganache:

• 

• or simple chopped walnuts and almonds cut with a knife.

• 

• To make the chocolate ganache, I simply melted some pieces of dark chocolate with a knob of butter (I did it by eye!). As soon as it melted, I placed it in a bag, cutting a tiny hole in one corner (I learned this trick years ago when I decorated the cookies for my son’s favors).

• The almond and walnut crumble I used when I made the first version of this cake (my son celebrated his birthday twice this year!), which I made in an improvised and very homemade way using – as you can clearly see from the slice photo you saw earlier – a yogurt ring cake instead of the sponge cake (and just as delicious!).