Italian Mimosa Cake for International Women´s Day

Men give women mimosa flowers or mimosa cakes in Italy, especially in Emilia-Romagna, on March 8th, for Women's Day. 

History

International Women's Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1909. In Italy, it was first conmemorated in 1946. The mimosa flower blooms in March and was thus added as a colorful, vital, and  feminine symbol for the occasion in this country. 

Mimosa Cake

This delicate cake is made to resemble the flower. Its main elements consist of: a) a light sponge cake, so it can be imbued with a rum syrup. b) enough sponge cake leftover so it can be cut into enough cubes to properly cover the cake. c) a very yellow sponge cake so that it resembles the color of the flower d) a dome-shaped cake should result in the end, whether you place the cake in a bowl so that it takes its shape, or you heap enough cream on top, or even taper the cake tower enough with the knife to give it a dome shape. e) pastry cream mixed with whipped cream results in a delicious filling that is also used to cover the cake.

Recipe 

from http://www.gamberorosso.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=233677:torta-mimosa&Itemid=17&tmpl=component&print=1

Sponge Cake

75 grams of white sugar

75 grams of flour

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

Beat egg yolks and sugar until they are thick and lighter in color. 

Beat egg whites until stiff; then fold them into the batter. Finally, fold in the flour.

 Pour the batter into four greased and floured 4 inch springform pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Syrup Recipe

1/2 cup of water

1 1/2 ounces of sugar

4 tablespoons of rum

Heat water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat and add rum.

 

When the cakes are ready, poke holes in three layers and pour the syrup over them.

Next, take the extra layer, remove the crusts and cut it into small cubes.

Pastry Cream

1 egg yolk

30 grams of sugar

30 grams of flour

Zest of half a lemon

pinch of salt

Place milk, salt, sugar, flour, and lemon zest in saucepan. Heat until boiling, then pour a small amount on the egg yolk and mix. Pour the egg yolk mix into the saucepan. Stir until thick and remove from heat.

Whipped Cream

62 grams of whipping cream

25 grams of confectioner's sugar

Whip until the cream is stiff.

Assembling the cake

Fold the whipping cream into the pastry cream. Place this cream on one of the layers of sponge cake, then another layer of cake on top. Add more cream, then the third piece of cake. Cover the entire dome with cream.

Place the cubes on top of the cream-covered cake, so that it will resemble the mimosa flower.

References
http://cookitalia.blogspot.com/2011/03/mimosa-cake.html
http://www.academiabarilla.com/italian-recipes/step-step-recipes/mimosa-cake.aspx

Sicilian Cassatta

Cassatta decorated with a whimsical whipped cream decoration

It is a cake as beautiful as Italy, (and the stunning cookbook I found it in!) without a lot of hassle. 

Sicily is portrayed as an island where Jews, Arabs, and Christians were able to live "side by side in peace and toleration", and this cake is a symbol of it. Monastery nuns made it for Easter, and Jews made it for Purim. Some believe that it also has muslim roots, saying that cassata comes from an arab word that means deep bowl. Others claim that the word comes from latin and means cheese, because the cake is filled with ricotta, according to the traditional recipe. 

Nowadays, it is suitable for Christmas or birthdays, too, and is often served with an ice cream filling in restaurants. So this cake is for celebrating this blog's first birthday! 

Recipe adapted from Italy the Beautiful Cookbook

1/2 cup granulated superfine sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 pound ricotta

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 ounces candied fruit

2 ounces blanched pistachio nuts

8 ounces sponge or pound cake

1 cup amaretto or sweet dessert wine

Dissolve sugar in water in pan by heating it. Strain the ricotta, to make it smoother, and mix it with the sugar water, chocolate, candied fruit, and pistachios. Cut the sponge cake into 1 cm slices, then cut them into strips. Soak them fully in the amaretto liqueur and line a 7-inch bowl or mold with them:

Cover them with the ricotta mixture; then top with another 1-cm layer of sponge cake.
Refrigerate for several hours, then unmold onto a platter.

Decorate or serve with whipped cream.

Cassatta next to a lily made out of sugar, and an alabaster  jar  from Pisa

References

Medici, Lorenza. 1996. Italy the Beautiful Cookbook. Harper Collins.
http://www.itchefs-gvci.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=122&Itemid=809
http://allthingssicilianandmore.blogspot.com/2009/12/cassata-it-is-perfect-for-australian.html