Cake for two

To make the cake for two, start by preparing the cocoa sponge cake: separate the yolks from the whites and place them in two separate bowls. Take the bowl with the egg whites, add half of the sugar 1 and use an electric mixer 2 to beat them until very stiff 3.

Now take the bowl with the yolks, add the other half of the sugar 4 and beat with the electric mixer 5 until they become light and frothy 6.

Combine the yolk mixture with the beaten egg whites 7 and gently fold with a spatula from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture 8. Place a sieve over the bowl with the egg mixture and sift in the flour and baking powder 9.

Mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with the spatula, always making delicate movements from bottom to top, then also sift in the cocoa powder 10 and mix again to incorporate it 11 until you get a homogeneous, frothy, and lump-free mixture 12.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) in static mode, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a 3.5-inch diameter ring mold, about 2.5 inches tall, and line the inside with a strip of parchment paper, making sure it sticks out about 0.2 inches 13. Transfer the sponge cake mixture into a piping bag, place the ring mold on the lined baking sheet, and fill it with the mixture 14 up to about 0.4 inches from the edge 15. Bake in the preheated static oven at 350°F (175°C), on the lowest shelf, for about 35 minutes.

While the sponge cake is in the oven, you can whip the cream for decoration: combine the heavy cream and sugar in a container 16 and whip with an electric mixer 17 until it's nice and firm, then transfer it to a piping bag with a medium tip (smooth or flower) 18 and store it in the fridge, so it is well-chilled when you use it to decorate the cake.

Once the baking time for the sponge cake is over (check with a toothpick that it is cooked inside), let it cool slightly inside the ring mold 19, then unmold it and gently remove the parchment paper lining 20. Let the sponge cake cool completely, in the meantime proceed to prepare the cream: place the pink peppercorns inside a sieve, position it over a bowl, and rub them with your fingertips to shed them; this way the outer shell will remain in the sieve, while the bowl will collect a powder that will be used for the cream 21.

Put the ricotta in a separate bowl, add the heavy cream 22 and briefly mix with the electric beaters, then add the powdered sugar 23 and continue to work with the mixer to blend all the ingredients well. Add the mascarpone 24 and continue working the cream with the electric beaters.

Now extract the seeds from the vanilla pod using a smooth blade knife 25, then add them to the ricotta and mascarpone cream 26, along with the pink pepper powder you obtained earlier 27.

Gently mix with a spatula to incorporate all the ingredients 28 and achieve a smooth, homogeneous cream 29, then transfer the obtained cream into a piping bag with a flat, ridged tip and store it in the fridge. Finally, place the hazelnut crumbs on a plate and mix them with the pink pepper powder, sifting it using the same method explained earlier 30, and set it aside.

At this point, the sponge cake will have cooled down, so place it on a cutting board and remove the top with a serrated blade knife 31; the small cake will then be about 2.5 inches tall, so cut it horizontally into 3 parts, obtaining 3 discs each 0.8 inches thick 32. It's time to assemble the cake: if you don't have a turntable stand, you can use a fairly large bowl turned upside down on the work surface. Place the sponge cake base on the inverted bowl 33

and fill the surface with the ricotta cream you placed in the piping bag 34. Add the second sponge cake disc 35 and fill this one too with the ricotta cream 36, then cover it all with the last layer of sponge cake, without filling it.

Now move on to coat the cake: place the piping bag nozzle on the outer side applying light pressure and simultaneously turn the bowl 37 to cover the side surface of the cake evenly 38. Finally, use a spatula to smooth the surface, helping yourself by turning the bowl as a base and occasionally wetting the spatula with a little water 39.

At this point, stick a long toothpick into the cake to handle it without touching the coating, and gently roll it in the hazelnut and pink pepper crumb mixture until you evenly cover the cream 40. Take the whipped cream you left in the fridge and decorate the still unadorned surface of the sponge cake 41, adding red fruits to taste, a few mint leaves, and a grind of pink pepper: the cake for two is ready to be served 42!