Prepare the sponge cake following our directions. If you have no time, you can use the
sponge cake you can find at the supermarket. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers.
Soak every layer with alchermes diluted into water or sherry diluted into water.
Prepare the custard sauce (pastry cream). Place the milk in a saucepan with the lemon rind; bring to the boil, remove from the heat and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan beat
the egg yolks with the sugar until light and thickened (you need about 4-5 minutes).
Stir into the beaten eggs the white flour, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
To avoid clots you'd use a colander. At this point pour in the warm milk whisking until
blended. Place the saucepan over a very low heat or in a bain-marie, bring to the boil and keep on cooking, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir frequently to prevent a skin forming or pass a little piece of butter through the surface with a fork. When it is cold, pour in the candied cherries cut into four quarters.
Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons icing sugar and add it to the custard cream very gently stirring with a wooden spoon. Stuff the sponge cake with this mixture. Spread 2 layers and sandwich the 3 discs of the sponge together.
Prepare the melted chocolate to decorate the cake. Meanwhile you can chill the cake.
Melt the chocolate with 4 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons sugar in a double boiler or
in a bowl set over hot water. Alternatively use a microwave.
Ice the top with the melted chocolate.
Prepare the marzipan decorations (let your children help you!). If necessary, add icing sugar
to the marzipan. Then divide it into 3 parts. Flavour the first with some drops of
lemon-flavoured liqueur, the second with mint syrup and the third with sherry. If you want to obtain more brilliant colours, you have to add some drops of food colourings.
Now you have to obtain from every part some thin and long strips (just as streamers).
Arrange them on the top of the cake with other sweet decorations. See the photo for more details!

Note

The cake can be made only with jam instead of whipped cream and custard sauce for a low fat recipe. In this case you have to dilute the jam with milk for stuffing the layers.

What's the right wine for " A cake for Carnival " ?

Our suggestion is: sweet sparkling wine or Coca Cola if the cake is dedicated to your children!