Cake

Just in time for Women’s day – here is a classic recipe for the delicious Italian mimosa cake.
It is usually prepared for Women’s day on 8th of March

The name of the cake is due to its shape resembling the flowers of the mimonsa plant

Level of recipe difficulty: medium

Ingredients:
For the cake base:

2 eggs
4 egg yolks
110 g sugar
100 g flour
20 g potato flour (fecola di patate – sold in Italian delis)

For the custard:

150 ml milk
150 ml double cream
100 g sugar
4 egg yolks
27 g flour
1 teaspoon vanilla flavour

For the dip:

50 ml water
1 table spoon orange blossom water
25 g sugar

For the cream with sugar:

100 ml double cream
10 g icing sugar

Method:
First prepare the cake base:

Mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl, using an electric whisk for 10 – 15 minutes at high speed. This is an important step to ensure the cake base is light and full of air bubbles.
Then add the egg yolks and continue mixing for another 6 minutes.

Once the eggs have been incorporated, add the flour and potato flour through a sieve, folding the flour in delicately by hand to add even more air into the mix.

Butter and flour a round baking tin, add the cake mix and bake at 180°C for circa 30 minutes.

While the cake bakes, prepare the custard:
In a small pan mix the milk, double cream and vanilla flavour.
In another small pan mix the egg yolks and sugar.
Heat both pans up, stirring constantly, but do not boil.
Stir the egg and sugar mix with a wooden spoon. Then add the flour and stir it until smooth.
Now add the warm milk and cream into the egg-sugar-flour mix and stir at medium temperature until the custard starts to set.
Ensure the flour in the custard cooks. Once the custard starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and pour it into a flat pyrex ramekin.

Cover the custard with cling film. The cling film needs to touch the custard. Then place it in the fridge to cool.

Prepare the dip:
In a small pan, mix the water, sugar and orange blossom water. Heat it up to let the sugar melt. Then put to one side to cool.

Assembling the cake:
When the cake base is baked through and a skewer comes out clean, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a flat surface , turning the cake base upside down.

Once the cake base has cooled completely, cut off the brown crust all around the cake to reveal the yellow cake. Now cut it into half.
Then with a long-bladed knife, cut one of these cake halfs carefully into three even layers. These will form the layers of the cake.
Cut the other half of the cake base into small cubes. These will be used to decorate the top and sides of the cake.

Whip the cream and caster sugar. Keep two table spoons of cream to one side
Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand.
With a table spoon drizzle a third of the dip onto the layer. Then spread some cream on top and then some custard.
Cover with another layer of cake. and repeat.
Then cover with the third cake layer.

Once you have assembled the three cake layers with the dip, cream and custard, cover the entire cake with custard and do the same with the sides of the cake.

Then cover the top and sides of the cake with the yellow cake cubes you have cut. The custard will act as ‘glue’.

Ensure the cake is covered with cubes from all sides, place in the fridge and voilà your mimosa cake is ready!

I hope you enjoyed. Happy Women’s day!

(Recipe by Michel Roux)
Mmmmh, this cake is perfect for autumn, served with a cappuccino or coffee, accompanied by your favourite read.
Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients:

For the Base:

33 g melted butter, plus 10 g to grease
125 g digestive biscuits

For the Filling:

500 g cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp milk
175 g caster sugar
18 g plain flour
Very finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
Very finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 vanilla pot split lengthways

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Butter a 22 cm cake tin and place it onto a baking sheet.
Using a pestle and mortar crush the biscuits into fine crumbs, then transfer them to a bowl and add the melted butter. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the biscuit mixture into the cake tin and spread it into a uniform layer, pressing it firmly and evenly.
Bake the base for 12 minutes until firm, then set aside to cool, still keeping the tin on the baking sheet.

Increase the oven setting to 220°C.
Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, milk, sugar, flour and grated citrus zests into an even, smooth, light and creamy mixture.
On a low speed, incorporate the eggs one at a time, followed by the egg yolks.
Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the mixture.
Scrape the sides of the bowl several times to ensure the filling is homogeneous.
Pour the filling over the biscuit base and bake for 12 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 100°C and cook for a further 1 hour until set but still slightly wobbly at the centre.
Turn the oven off, leaving the cheese cake inside the oven with the door slightly a jar for 1 hour to cool slowly.

Transfer the cake in its tin to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Carefully cut the cake into slices using a very sharp knife dipped in hot water between each cut.

Bon Appétit!