Sponge Cake

1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of two 8″ or 9″ cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (this is the one I have), beat 6 large eggs for 1 minute on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating 8-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
3. Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift this mixture into fluffy egg mixture one third at a time. Fold with a spatula with each addition just until incorporated. Scrape spatula from the bottom to catch any pockets of flour and stop mixing when no streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
4. Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (it helps if you have a kitchen scale to weight the pans). Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Don’t open the oven for at least the first 20 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula around the edges then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. Once cooled, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. It’ll be easier to cut when the cake is thoroughly chilled.

To make coffee liqueur:

1. Dissolve espresso powder in 1/2 cup of hot water. Then stir in amaretto liqueur.

To make tiramisu cream filling:

1. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat mascarpone cheese, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until hard peaks form.
3. Gently fold in half of whipped cream into mascarpone cheese mixture. Then add the remaining whipped cream and mix until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the cake:

1. Once the cake is completely cooled, slice each cake horizontally into 2 even layers.
2. Put a dollop of filling on a cake board and place the first cake layer.
3. Drizzle 1/4 of espresso mixture evenly all over the cake.
4. Then spread a generous amount of filling (about 1 cup) over the cake layer.
5. Place the next layer and repeat until all the layers are stacked.
6. Cover the cake with half of the remaining filling to crumb coat the cake. Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour to firm up.