Sponge cake and custard are the main ingredients to prepare an excellent Mimosa cake, the ideal dessert to dedicate to a mother, a daughter or a friend in occasion of the Women's Day.

Mimosa cake, an adventurous story

There International Women's Day It is a celebration born in the United States to commemorate a group of dead workers on March 8th 1908 in a factory during a protest due to the very bad conditions in which they were forced to work. Symbol of the Day has become over time Mimosa Acacia dealbata, characterized by an intense aroma and yellow flowers gathered in spherical flower heads. The color and shape of this flower were the inspiration for the Mimosa cake, that is born in reality without any connection with the Women's Day. To invent the dessert seems to have been an Italian pastry chef, Adelmo Renzi, from a village in the province of Rieti, in the fifties. The official debut of the Mimosa cake would instead have happened to Sanremo, in 1962, during a confectionery competition won by the creation of Adelmo Renzi. The name was actually chosen for pay homage to the city of flowers: Adelmo Renzi decided to cover the entire surface of the cake with pieces of sponge cake that could remember the small yellow flowers. The authentic recipe of the Mimosa cake was never revealed, but from that moment was associated with great luck at the Women's Day.

How to prepare the Mimosa cake, the recipe

To cook the Mimosa cake it is necessary first of all to prepare the sponge cake, to be used both as a base and as decoration of the dessert: the cover will have to remember the flowers of the mimosa. For the filling, the variations are really many, but the classic provides the custard: you will then have to prepare the bathe in liquor and the whipped cream. The doses are calculated for about 6 people.

How to prepare the Mimosa cake: the sponge cake

Start by preparing the sponge cake: put in a bowl the yolks of six eggs and 250 grams of sugar, to be mixed vigorously. Then add 300 grams of sieved flour and a bag of vanillin; gently whisk the egg whites and whisk them: you can also add the grated peel of a lemon. Grease and flour a pan with rather high edges, with a diameter of about 24 centimeters, then bake a 180 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once cooked, take it out of the oven, unmold it and let it cool.

How to prepare the Mimosa cake: custard

Take advantage of the time when it cooks sponge cake to prepare her filling. In a saucepan mix four egg yolks with five tablespoons of sugar, then add 40 grams of flour, the peel of a grated lemon and a tip of vanilla. Put 400 ml of milk on the stove and when it will be almost boiling pour it in small quantities on your mixture, continuing to mix with the whisk. At this point, put the saucepan on the stove, turning with a wooden spoon. Gradually, the cream will thicken: remove it from the heat and let it cool, continuing to mix from time to time to prevent a film from forming on the surface. While you wait for it to cool (to speed up the process you can also put it in the fridge), whisk 250 g of fresh cream and then mix it with the custard.

How to prepare the Mimosa cake: the touch of liquor

To obtain the liquor wetted, melt two tablespoons of sugar in a saucepan together with 200 ml of water and two tablespoons of liquor: the free choice, but the cointreau with orange or limoncello is strongly recommended.

Assemble the Mimosa cake

You just have to assemble the cake: take the sponge cake and cut the top horizontally, as if it were a lid. Then empty the base very carefully and keep aside the crumb: you will need it to cover the cake. Then moisten the sponge cake by brushing the liquor, then fill the base with the custard, without finishing it completely. Close the cake with the cap of sponge cake, also wet with liquor; cover all the cake with the custard left over and then decorate it with the breadcrumbs of sponge cake, which will be distributed evenly on the surface, forming a soft dome. Leave the Mimosa cake in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, either for Women's Day or any other occasion.