True, the mimosa is a bit of the 80s, but this simple and very scenic preparation has a charm that resists time. It was proposed as a challenge to competitors in the latest edition of Bake off Italia. It is linked to the typical flower that pays homage to Women’s Day on March 8th, this cake is very valid all year round, and is quick and easy to prepare if you follow some precautions. Now, follow the Mimosa cake recipe.
Mimosa Cake Recipe
Unlike many sweets whose origin is lost in the mists of tradition, mimosa seems to have a fairly recent history. It seems that it was invented in the 1950s by a pastry chef, Adelmo Renzi, who worked in a village in the province of Rieti. But his public debut would take place in 1962 in Sanremo, in a competition for which Renzi proposed precisely this floral cake. He wants to pay homage to the city of flowers. The original recipe has never been revealed.
The secret of the mimosa cake lies in the double use of sponge cake: as a base of the cake and as a decoration. Let’s start with six eggs and 250 grams of sugar, to be whipped with the planetary mixer or the electric whips for a very long, indefinite time until the compound has quintupled its volume. Then carefully incorporate the flour (300 grams) sieved and mixed with vanillin: this operation must be done very carefully, a little at a time, and with movements of the spatula from the bottom up. And here’s the first trick: butter not one but two trays, and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Second precaution: turn out immediately, let cool well, even for a whole day.
Prepare the cream
There are also versions with cream or other fillings. This is the classic one – take 4 yolks and five spoons of sugar, add 40 grams of flour, grate the peel of an untreated lemon. Pour 400 grams of almost boiling milk, a little at a time, and then put on low heat, stirring until it thickens.
Mix well
An alcoholic syrup made in this way is recommended: 2 tablespoons of sugar, 200 grams of water and 2 tablespoons of liqueur (aromatic, so a limoncello or a Cointreau will be perfect).
Serve and decorate
The assembly is the real trick to do early and not run the risk of combining disasters: take a sponge cake and cut it very gently into two or three, horizontally. Take the other one and peel it from the dark crust (which you will not throw away, obviously); then always cut it very carefully, reducing it into cubes: a few crumbs will be made, but it is inevitable. Stuff the various layers of the cake, then completely cover it with plenty of creams.
Finally, take the cubes and put them on the sides and everywhere: they will stick to the cream and create the mimosa effect. Let rest an hour in the fridge, serve.
