An elegant and delicious cake that will not leave anyone indifferent. A perfect cake for special occasions.
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- Eggs – 6
- Powdered sugar – 1 1/2 cups (about 180 g)
- All-purpose flour – 2/3 cup (100 g)
- Potato flour – 2/3 cup (100 g)
- Gingerbread spice mix or spice blend – 2 tablespoons
- Cocoa powder – 2 tablespoons
For the soaking syrup
- Fresh orange juice (from about 2 oranges) – 1/2 cup (about 125 ml)
For the filling
- Plum jam – 1 jar (240-250 g)
- Orange liqueur or orange juice – 1/4 cup (about 60 ml)
For the cream
- Heavy cream (36%) – 500 ml (chilled for at least 24 hours)
- Mascarpone cheese – 500 g
- Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup (about 60 g)
- Cinnamon – 1 1/2 tablespoons
For decoration
- Grated chocolate (for the sides)
- Cinnamon (for the top, optionally with star-shaped patterns)
Note: For the star pattern, place star-shaped paper cutouts or a star-shaped stencil on the cake before dusting with cinnamon.
Preparation
To prepare the sponge cake, bring the eggs to room temperature and separate the yolks from the whites. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line the bottom of a 25-26 cm (10 inch) springform pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend outside the pan.
Sift the all-purpose flour, potato flour, gingerbread spice mix, and cocoa powder into a bowl and mix well.
Beat the egg yolks with half of the powdered sugar for about 8 minutes until the mixture is light and thick. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding the remaining powdered sugar and continuing to beat for about 7 minutes until glossy.
Gently fold the egg yolks into the egg whites using a spatula. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the batter and briefly mix on the lowest speed of the mixer. Add another third of the flour mixture and gently mix again, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix lightly.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Cut the cake into 3 horizontal layers.
For the cream, beat the chilled heavy cream with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, briefly mix the mascarpone cheese. Gently fold the mascarpone into the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the filling, mix the plum jam with the orange liqueur or orange juice and set aside.
Place the bottom sponge layer on a cake stand, soak with one-third of the orange juice, spread half of the plum jam mixture over it, and top with one-third of the mascarpone cream. Add the second sponge layer, soak with another third of the orange juice, spread the remaining plum jam mixture, and add another third of the mascarpone cream. Place the final sponge layer on top and soak with the remaining orange juice. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining mascarpone cream.
Cover the sides of the cake with grated chocolate. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. If you wish to create a star pattern, place star-shaped paper cutouts or a star-shaped stencil on the cake before dusting with cinnamon.
Refrigerate the cake until serving. You can serve it immediately or after chilling for 2-3 hours.
