Chantilly Cake

To prepare the Chantilly cake, first make the sponge cake. Pour the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer, add a pinch of salt and the seeds of half a vanilla bean 1. Set aside the bean, it will be needed for the cream. Start whipping the eggs with the whisk, adding the sugar 2, and continue to work them until you get a puffy and frothy mixture 3. It will take about 15-20 minutes.

At this point, place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of the stand mixer and pour in both the flour and the cornstarch 4. Sift the powders and mix everything with a hand whisk or a spatula making movements from the bottom up 5. Do this step very gently so as not to deflate the mixture. As soon as the powders are completely mixed, pour everything into a greased and floured 9-inch mold 6.

Level the surface with a spatula and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes. Do the toothpick test and take the cake out of the oven 7. Let it cool slightly, remove the mold 8, and let the sponge cake cool completely on a wire rack.

In the meantime, while the sponge cake is in the oven, you can prepare the custard cream. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla bean you set aside, deprived of the remaining seeds 1, and transfer them into a bowl where you have already placed the egg yolks 2. Bring the milk and cream to a simmer, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat quickly 3.

Add the sifted cornstarch 4 and mix until fully absorbed 5. When the milk and cream start to boil, take a ladle and transfer it into the yolk mixture to temper it 6.

Pour everything back into the saucepan 7, remove the vanilla bean, and, stirring continuously, let the cream thicken on the heat for a few minutes 8. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap in contact 9. Let the cream cool first at room temperature and then in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour 9.

At this point, make the filling cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour 2 cups of fresh liquid cream, add the powdered sugar 1 and the seeds of the vanilla bean 2; you can use the bean for other preparations. Whip the cream with electric whisks until you get a rather firm consistency 3.

Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip 4 and place in the refrigerator. Then prepare the decoration cream. Pour the 3 cups of cream into the bowl of the stand mixer, add the powdered sugar 5, and whip with the whisk as done previously. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and place in the refrigerator.

At this point, prepare the soaking syrup. In a saucepan, pour the water, maraschino 1, and sugar 2. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then let it cool 3.

When the sponge cake and cream are cold, you can assemble the cake. Using a long serrated knife, level the top of the sponge cake 1. Then cut out 3 discs of the same thickness 2. Place the last disc on a serving plate and soak it with the syrup 3.

Fill with half of the Chantilly cream 4 and place the second disc on top. Soak with the syrup 5 and fill with the remaining cream 6.

Place the third layer of sponge cake on top 7 and smooth the sides with a spatula to level any overflow of cream. Cover the entire surface of the cake (including the sides) with whipped cream and smooth it with a spatula 8. Transfer the custard into a piping bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and create rows of cream dots, spacing them apart 9.

Fill the spaces with whipped cream dots 10. Also, decorate the edge of the cake, all around the perimeter 11 and, lastly, create dots all around the circumference of the cake 11. Refrigerate until ready to serve your Chantilly cake 12.