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Prepare the sponge cake (Pan di Spagna):
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for a fan oven). Grease and flour a cake tin with a diameter of approx. 20 cm or line it with baking paper.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the optional lemon zest or vanilla.
Carefully fold the sugared egg yolks into the beaten egg whites.
Mix the flour with the baking powder and sift into the egg mixture. Fold in carefully so that the foam does not collapse.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for approx. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Make the cream (Crema Pasticcera):
Pour the milk into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the insides and add the pod to the milk. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. If using vanilla extract, add it at the end.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until foamy. Add the flour or cornstarch and mix until smooth.
Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly (remove the vanilla pod).
Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract if using.
Divide the cream into two parts. Stir the chopped dark chocolate into one part until melted and smooth. Leave both parts to cool completely, covered to prevent a skin from forming.
Prepare the topping (Bagna):
In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.
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