First of all, prepare the sponge cake: separate the egg yolks and egg whites and whip the latter until stiff peaks form.

Whip the egg yolks with boiling water, then add sugar and grated lemon peel, continuing to whisk.

Then add the sifted flour and yeast and finally the egg whites, mixing delicately with movements from bottom to top, so as not to cause them to fall apart.

Pour the mixture into the buttered and floured mold and cook for about 40 minutes in a static oven preheated to 180°C.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool, then remove from the mold and leave to cool completely on a wire rack, preferably upside down (this way you will have the smoother base as the upper surface to decorate).

Then prepare the custard: heat the milk with the lemon peel.

Whip the egg yolks with the sugar.

Incorporate flour and vanilla into the egg yolks.

Then add the filtered milk, put back on the heat and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until you obtain a thick cream.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film, so that no oxidation film forms on the surface, and leave to cool completely.

Now prepare the syrup: put water, sugar and lemon peel in a saucepan, bring to the boil and leave to cook for a few minutes (until the sugar is completely dissolved), then leave to cool and finally remove the peel.

Finally, prepare the frosting: whip the cream well cold from the fridge.

Work the cheese with the sugar, then also incorporate the cream, delicately, so as not to let it fall apart.

Take 2-3 tablespoons of frosting, place them in a bowl and add the food coloring chosen for the writing (I used yellow).

Take another 3-4 tablespoons of frosting and keep them aside for the tufted decoration (I left it white, but if you want you can color this too, preferably with a different colour).

Finally, color the remaining frosting, the one you will need to frost the cake (I made it pink, in perfect n style).

Cut the now cold sponge cake in half horizontally.
Place the disc to be used as a base on a serving plate, wet it with half the syrup and fill with all the custard, then cover with the second disc and wet this too.

Cover entirely with the pink frosting, leveling the surface with a spatula, then create the writing with the yellow frosting (using a piping bag with a smooth, thin nozzle) and finally create the decorative tufts with the white frosting (with a piping bag with a star-shaped spout).

And here it is, your ugly cake is ready to be served.