Birthday cake

To prepare the birthday cake, start with the sponge cake: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisks, add the sugar, egg yolks 1, whole eggs 2, and a pinch of salt 3.

Turn on the whisks and let them work for at least 10 minutes 4, until the mixture is very light and foamy. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and potato starch 5 twice. Then pour the powders little by little into the whipped mixture 6.

Gently mix with a spatula with upward movements from bottom to top 7. Once the powders are well incorporated, pour the obtained batter into a 10-inch greased pan lined with parchment paper 8. The sponge cake is ready to be baked 9 in static mode in a preheated oven at 350°F on the lowest rack. Bake for 30-35 minutes, and once removed from the oven, flip it over, remove the pan, and let it cool upside down.

In the meantime, work on the custard: in a saucepan, heat the milk with orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, and the vanilla pod 10. Collect the seeds in a bowl 11 and add the granulated sugar 12.

Add the egg yolks 13, mix 14, and add the rice starch 15.

Add the corn starch 16 and mix again to obtain a homogeneous batter 17. Finally, pour the now hot milk into the bowl, straining it through a sieve 18.

Mix immediately 19 and return to the heat in a saucepan 20. Stir and cook until the mixture is close to boiling; the custard should thicken 21.

Once ready, cool the custard immediately by pouring it into a cold bowl from the freezer, then transfer it into a dish 22 and let it cool in the fridge for 3 hours covered with plastic wrap in contact with the surface. In the meantime, you can take care of the syrup: in a saucepan, pour water, sugar 23, and orange and lemon zest 24.

Bring to a boil and let it infuse until it cools down 25. Once cooked and cooled, retrieve your sponge cake: with a serrated knife, peel off the outermost part 26 and then cut it in half to obtain 2 discs 27.

Place the first disc on a plate and, using a brush, moisten it well with the citrus syrup 28. Whip the cream with powdered sugar 29 and transfer it into a piping bag with a star tip. Create a ring of whipped cream around the circumference of the disc 30.

Fill with the custard, which has cooled and been placed in a piping bag 31. Level with a spatula 32 and add the dark chocolate shavings 33.

Moisten the inside of the second sponge cake disc 34 and place it over the filling 35: this way, the part baked in contact with the pan is facing up. Moisten the surface with the syrup as well 36.

Now, with the remaining whipped cream, distribute dollops all around the cake border 37 and cover the surface 38. Carefully smooth everything out to obtain a smooth and tidy coating 39.

With your hands, let the chocolate sprinkles adhere to the entire cake border (40-41), arrange the strawberries, and use the remaining whipped cream to garnish the surface of the birthday cake, forming a garland 42.

Add the berries as well 43, and with melted dark chocolate placed inside a parchment paper cone, write your dedication for the birthday person 44. Your beautiful birthday cake is ready; let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.