Torta Mimosa

Covered in crumbled sponge so the surface looks like mimosa blossom.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (double cream), dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

• 2 sponge cakes, 22 cm, one for building and one to crumble
• 500 ml whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g caster sugar
• 40 g plain flour
• 1 vanilla pod
• 300 ml double cream
• 200 g tinned pineapple, drained and diced
• 100 ml syrup from the pineapple, for soaking

Method

1. Make a crema pasticciera with the milk, yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla, and cool it completely.
2. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cold crema, then fold in the diced pineapple.
3. Cut the first sponge into three discs. Brush each with pineapple syrup and build the cake with the cream between the layers.
4. Spread a thin layer of the same cream over the top and sides — just enough to be sticky.
5. NOW TAKE THE SECOND SPONGE, CUT THE CRUST OFF, AND CRUMBLE THE YELLOW CRUMB BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS into pieces the size of a grain of rice. Press them all over the cake until no cream shows.
6. Crumbs from the crust are brown and spoil it; the whole effect depends on an even pale yellow, which is what makes it look like mimosa blossom.
7. Chill 4 hours. Do not smooth or pat the surface afterwards — the texture is the point and pressing it flattens the crumbs into a crust.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes