MOCHA HAZELNUT TART:
TORTA FREDDA DI NOCCIOLE
RICOTTA PEAR CAKE: TORTA RICOTTA E PERE
NO-BAKE PANDORO LAYER CAKE: DOLCE AL PANDORO
“INSTANT” CHOCOLATE CAKE: DOLCE TORINO
SUMMER TIRAMISÙ: ZUPPA TARTARA
SERVES 10
REGION: Emilia-Romagna and popular throughout northern Italy
This cake, which looks like a bouquet of mimosa flowers, is eaten on March 8 in celebration of International Women’s Day—Festa della Donna—a sort of BFF day celebrating womanhood and female friendships. It is one of my top five favorites in this book! But like a good female friendship, this recipe takes effort. The cake is made from two basic recipes: sponge cake and pastry cream. Each is worth learning, as with them you can make myriad classic Italian desserts. This lovely cake is better if eaten a day or two after it’s made. It keeps nicely for up to a week and freezes perfectly.
chi vuole avere buoni
amici, ne abbia pochi.
IF YOU WANT GOOD FRIENDS,
HAVE JUST A FEW.
FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:
1 recipe Italian Sponge Cake (page 199), made as 2 (9-inch) cakes
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
Sugar 
4 tablespoons
Sweet citrus liqueur, such as Cointreau or limoncello 4 tablespoons
1 recipe Pastry Cream (page 197), chilled until very cold, at least 4 hours
Prepare the cake: Cool the cakes to room temperature.
Trim the crusts on one of the cakes so there are no dark parts showing. Carefully slice the cake in half horizontally so you have two layers. Set them aside. Trim the top and side crusts of the second cake, leaving the bottom dark. Carefully slice the cake in half horizontally. Set aside the bottom layer. Slice the remaining layer into ¼-inch-wide (6-millimeter-wide) strips, then cut the strips into cubes. Set the cubes aside.
Assemble the cake: Put the sugar and ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters) water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Let cool to room temperature.
Put the bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Moisten with one third of the liqueur syrup, then spread with a little less than one third of the pastry cream. Repeat with the next 2 layers, then spread the remaining pastry cream on the sides of the cake. Press the cake cubes onto the top and sides of the cake. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Serve cold. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for at least 6 weeks.
SERVES 8
REGION: Piedmont
Creamy chocolate, with a hint of coffee, floats over a layer of crunchy hazelnuts. Other than the heat needed to melt the chocolate, this is a totally no-cook dessert that’s served icy cold right from the refrigerator. A huge hit with everyone who tastes it, this recipe from Torino’s La Maggiorana cooking school is a must-try.
fare la figura
del cioccolataio
TO ACT LIKE A CHOCOLATE MAKER.
(AN EXPRESSION USED IN TURIN TO
DESCRIBE THE NOUVEAU RICHE. IT
DATES TO 1823, WHEN KING CARLO
FELICE DI SAVOIA NOTICED A FINER
COACH THAN HIS OWN PASS BY AND
DISCOVERED IT WAS OWNED BY A LOCAL
CHOCOLATIER. BACK THEN, CHOCOLATE
WAS SO PRIZED THAT CHOCOLATIERS
OFTEN BECAME QUITE WEALTHY.)
Butter 3 tablespoons
Blanched whole hazelnuts 1½ cups (7 ounces/200 grams)
Sugar 6 tablespoons
Dark chocolate 3½ ounces/100 grams, plus more for decoration
Milk chocolate 3½ ounces/100 grams
Freshly brewed strong espresso 4 tablespoons
Egg 1 large, beaten
Heavy cream 1¼ cups (10 fluid ounces/300 milliliters)
Lightly butter the ring of a 7-inch springform pan (you only need the ring part of the pan to keep the ingredients together as they firm up in the fridge; you won’t be using the bottom part of the pan). Butter a serving platter or cake stand that is wide enough to hold the ring, and place the ring on the platter.
In a food processor, combine the hazelnuts and 4 tablespoons of the sugar and process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and process until combined. Press this mixture firmly and evenly onto the serving plate, within the borders of the springform ring, and set aside.
Put the dark and milk chocolates in a small bowl and melt them, either in a microwave oven or over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Add the espresso and stir until well combined. Beat in the egg and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until firm peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and spoon the mixture over the hazelnut crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 5 hours. When ready to serve, remove the springform ring and garnish with grated dark chocolate.
One reason Italian chocolate is so good is that Italians care so much about the purity of ingredients. Italy bans all genetically modified foods, but there is no better evidence for Italians’ concern for quality than the country’s long battle with the European Union (EU) over cocoa butter. According to Mario Piccialuti, director of AIDEPI, the Association of Italian Dessert and Pasta Manufacturers, “Since 2003, the EU permits chocolate to contain a certain percentage of vegetable oils, like palm, to substitute for the more expensive cocoa butter. However, Italy does not. By agreement, all members of AIDEPI use only 100 percent cocoa butter in their chocolates. Italian chocolate is ‘pure chocolate.’”
Italy is home to some of the world’s finest chocolate, from companies like Amedei, Caffarel, Domori, Ferrero, Majani, Novi, Pernigotti, Perugina, Peyrano, Vanini, and Venchi. A single region—Piedmont—is home to more master chocolatiers than Belgium and France combined!
Chocolate was originally enjoyed in Italy only as a drink, appearing in solid candy form much later. According to Gigi Padovani, one of Italy’s leading chocolate experts, “The birthplace was Turin, in Piedmont. The first chocolate candies were created there between 1830 and 1850. The candies were called ‘givu,’ Piedmontese dialect meaning cigarette butts, or little pieces of something. The candies were made from ground chocolate and sugar, which was rolled into a thin rod, and then cut into small round pieces.”
FIVE WAYS TO SAVOR CHOCOLATE IN Italy
When is the best time to eat chocolate? According to Giacomo Boidi, owner of Giraudi chocolates, “We Italians eat chocolate when we are happy, to celebrate, but we also eat it when we are sad, to cheer us up.” He paused, then, eyes twinkling, added, “Italians also eat chocolate before making love, but it is wonderful after making love too!”
1. Experience Italy’s most popular chocolate extravaganzas: the Turin Chocolate Festival, held in early March, or Eurochocolate, held in Perugia in October.
2. Visit one of Italy’s chocolate factories, like Perugina, makers of Baci, and consider taking one of their funfilled chocolate-making classes.
3. Be on the lookout for chocolates that are hard to find in the States, like Ferrero’s Kinder Sorpresa, small chocolate eggs filled with puzzle pieces that assemble into a collectible toy; or their Pocket Coffee, little shots of real espresso coated in bittersweet chocolate.
4. While in Sicily, try Modica’s stone-ground chocolate, made from a centuries-old method. In Palermo, order torta sette veli (“cake of the seven veils”), an elaborate multilayer chocolate cake and a specialty of Pasticceria Cappello.
5. When you’re in Modena, in Emilia, visit CaffèPasticceria Gollini in the outlying town of Vignola, and have a slice of their Torta Barrozzi, a chocolate-espressonut cake made from a secret recipe.
SERVES 12
REGION: Campania
Ricotta e pere is one of the most popular, most frequently ordered desserts in Naples and on the Amalficoast. Fluffy ricotta and pear custard between two moist layers of hazelnut sponge cake, this cool, refreshing dessert is a relative newcomer, created in the late 1990s by Salvatore De Riso—TV cooking show host, pastry shop owner, and cookbook author. Don’t be put off by the length of the instructions. Each step is easy, and the result is a surprisingly light, superb summer dessert. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for up to five days, and freezes well. After six weeks in the freezer, it is just as wonderful as on day one.
mani di ricotta.
HANDS OF RICOTTA.
(BUTTER FINGERS.)
FOR THE CAKE:
Whole hazelnuts 2 cups (6 ounces/170 grams), finely ground
00 flour 6 tablespoons (1⅔ ounces/45 grams)
Eggs 6 large
Sugar ⅔ cup (4½ ounces/130 grams)
Butter 7 tablespoons (3½ ounces/100 grams), melted
FOR THE PEARS:
2 Bartlett or William pears, at least 6 ounces/170 grams each, peeled, cored, and diced or thinly sliced
Sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces/100 grams)
Juice of 1 lemon
Cornstarch 2 teaspoons
Pear brandy 1 to 2 tablespoons
FOR THE SYRUP:
Sugar 1/3 cup (2¼ ounces/65 grams)
Pear brandy 3 to 4 tablespoons
FOR THE FILLING:
Ricotta cheese 17 ounces/430 grams
Sugar ¾ cup (5¼ ounces/150 grams)
Pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon
Heavy cream ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces/180 milliliters)
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and lightly flour two 9½-inch (23.75 centimeters) springform pans.
Grind the hazelnuts and flour in a mini food processor until very fine.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sugar and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until the mixture has quadrupled in volume. Gently fold in the hazelnuts and flour with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the butter. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm to the touch. Set aside.
Make the pears: In a small saucepan combine the pears, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch and simmer over medium-low heat until the pears are soft. Remove from the heat, stir in the brandy, and let cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters) water and bring to a boil. Stir in brandy.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta, sugar, and vanilla for at least 5 minutes, until creamy.
Meanwhile, beat the cream until firm peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture. Fold in the cooled pear mixture.
Assemble the dessert: Remove one of the cake layers from the pan and place on a serving platter large enough to hold the outer ring of the springform pan. Brush the cake with one-half of the syrup to moisten it. Pile the filling in the center of the cake and put the springform ring back over the cake.
Gently spread the filling to the edges and then top with the second layer of cake. Brush the remaining syrup over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer until set, about 2 hours. Remove the springform ring and refrigerate until ready to serve.
SERVES 10
REGION: Veneto
This delicious no-bake layer cake, filled with creamy zabaglione, chocolate, and nuts, is a specialty of 12 Apostoli, a restaurant in lovely Verona. The charming owner, Giorgio Gioco, taught me how to make it as he told stories about all the famous guests he’s cooked for over the years, including Barbra Streisand, who liked this cake so much that during a TV interview, she said it was the best dessert she’d ever tasted in her life! Chef Gioco uses pandoro, a star-shaped briochelike aromatic cake, made by the Bauli company headquartered nearby.
zuccerho non
guasto’ mai vivanda.
SUGAR NEVER RUINS
A DISH.
Egg yolks 5 large
Sugar 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces/65 grams)
Marsala wine ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters)
Heavy cream 1½ cups (12 fluid ounces/360 milliliters)
Pandoro, preferably Bauli brand (see Sources, page 203) 12 ounces/340 grams, crust removed, cut into thin slices
Dark chocolate 2 ounces/55 grams, finely grated
Mixed chopped nuts 1 cup (4 ounces/115 grams), toasted
4 crisp amaretti (almond cookies), crushed
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a metal or heat-resistant glass bowl and whisk until creamy. Set the bowl over the boiling water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue whisking. Gradually pour in the Marsala while continuing to whisk. Whisk until the custard triples in volume and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the zabaglione until cold.
In a large bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the cream until firm peaks form. Pour half of the cold zabaglione into the whipped cream. Set the remaining zabaglione aside.
Spread one third of the zabaglione-cream mixture in a 7-inch (17-centimeter) circle in the center of a serving platter. Top with pandoro slices to form a single layer in the shape of a circle. Spread half of the remaining zabaglione-cream mixture on top of the pandoro and top with one quarter of the chocolate and nuts, reserving the rest for the top layer. Add another layer of pandoro, and spread the remaining zabaglione-cream mixture over it. Spoon the reserved zabaglione over the zabaglione-cream mixture and top with the remaining nuts and the amaretti. Scatter the remaining chocolate over the top.
This dessert is best served after a few hours, so the pandoro can absorb some of the zabaglione-cream mixture. If you refrigerate it, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving to release the pandoro’s natural butter flavors. Slice as you would a layer cake and serve.
Pandoro is sold in a distinctive lampshade-shaped box that children often play with as a toy hat. In America, real estate agents have been known to advise sellers to simmer apples and cinnamon in the kitchen to entice buyers. In Italy, they suggest setting pandoro on the radiator to release its aroma.
Walk through Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, during the Christmas season and you’ll see pretty violet and pink boxes of pandoro displayed throughout the town in all kinds of unlikely shop windows, including bookstores, clothing emporiums, and gift boutiques. Were the delicate colors of the package chosen in honor of Juliet? Actually, no. The founder of the Bauli company, Ruggero Bauli, had three older sons working in different parts of the business, two in production and one as a lawyer. Out of fairness, he assigned to his only daughter, then just a youngster, the critical task of deciding pandoro’s package colors.
SERVES 4 TO 6
REGION: Piedmont
It tickles me that this recipe, which feels so ultra-modern, comes from an Italian cookbook written in 1891! This no-bake cake is not only incredibly delicious, but it’s easy to make. Store-bought savoiardi ladyfinger cookies are dipped in liqueur, layered with chocolate, and then refrigerated until firm. Pronto fatto, it’s done.
andare in brodo
di giuggiole.
TO BE IN JUJUBE JUICE.
(TO BE OVERJOYED.)
Butter 7 tablespoons (3½ ounces/100 grams)
Confectioners’ sugar ½ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams)
Egg yolk 1 large
Dark chocolate 3½ ounces/100 grams
Heavy cream 2 tablespoons
Pure vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Warm water 5 tablespoons
Sugar 2 tablespoons, plus more to taste
Sweet liqueur, such as alchermes (page 182) 4 tablespoons
12 savoiardi (crisp ladyfingers)
Crushed nuts 2 tablespoons
In a large bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and egg yolk until very smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Put the chocolate and cream in a small bowl and melt the chocolate, either in a microwave oven or over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, then stir it and the vanilla into the butter mixture. Set aside.
Combine the warm water and the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the liqueur, adding more sugar to taste.
Dip 4 of the savoiardi, one at a time, into the liquid. Be sure to moisten them well on all sides. Arrange the 4 liqueur-dipped savoiardi in a row, close together, on a serving plate. Spread with one third of the chocolate mixture.
Repeat the dipping and layering to make two more layers, spreading the last layer of chocolate mixture on top and around the sides of the stacked savoiardi. Sprinkle the top layer with pistachios or hazelnuts. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until firm. Serve cold.
SERVES 8 TO 10
REGION: Tuscany
Zuccotto, a specialty of Florence, is a dome-shaped dessert made by lining a bowl with slices of sponge cake, filling the center with something creamy, and then closing the bottom with more cake. Thanks to the magical gluing properties of sugar, the slices of cake meld together to form a solid outer crust. This is a terrific dessert to learn to make and a fun recipe to play with—no-bake, pretty, and very versatile.
entrare nello
zuccotto del prete.
TO PUT ON THE PRIEST’S HAT. (AN
EXPRESSION THAT MEANS GETTING
TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER.)
Sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces/100 grams)
Boiling water ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters)
Liqueur, such as Maraschino, Kirsch, or alchermes (page 182) ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces/60 milliliters)
Store-bought pandoro, sponge or pound cake 12 to 16 ounces/340 to 450 grams, thinly sliced
Heavy cream 1¼ cups (10 fluid ounces/300 milliliters); or any flavor ice cream 2 pints (16 ounces/450 grams)
Confectioners’ sugar ⅔ cup (2½ ounces/65 grams)
Ricotta cheese 2½ cups (1 pound 6 ounces/625 grams)
Milk or dark chocolate 3½ ounces/100 grams
Chopped candied orange peel or candied fruit ⅔ cup (4½ ounces/130 grams)
Mascarpone cheese 3 ounces/85 grams
Put the granulated sugar in a small bowl and add the boiling water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the liqueur.
Line a 2-quart (2-liter) bowl with plastic wrap and brush with the liqueur mixture. Line the bottom and sides of the bowl with most of the cake slices. Fill in any gaps with small pieces of cake.
In a large bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add the confectioners’ sugar and whip until stiff. (If you’re using ice cream, just let it soften a little at room temperature.) Fold in the ricotta. Divide the mixture roughly in half, in two different bowls.
Grate 1 ounce (30 grams) of the chocolate and stir it and the candied fruit into one portion of the ricotta mixture.
Grate or chop the remaining chocolate and combine it with the mascarpone in a small bowl. Heat, either in a microwave oven or over a saucepan of boiling water, until the chocolate melts. Stir the chocolate-mascarpone mixture into the second portion of the ricotta mixture.
Brush most of the liqueur mixture over the cake. The cake should be almost saturated. Set the rest of the liqueur mixture aside.
Spread the chocolate-mascarpone-ricotta mixture over the cake slices. Next, fill in the remaining area with the ricotta–candied fruit mixture. Brush the remaining cake slices with most of the remaining liqueur mixture and arrange them, liqueur side down, over the filling to cover it completely, trimming the cake slices to fit, if necessary. Brush the bottom of the slices with the remaining liqueur mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (or freeze if using ice cream) for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
Remove the top piece of plastic wrap. Invert the cake onto a platter, then remove the bowl and the remaining plastic wrap. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
SERVES 4
REGION: Northern Italy
You’ll love this dish—it’s beautiful and takes just seconds to assemble using supermarket ingredients. Savoiardi (crisp ladyfingers) are layered with peach jam and sweetened ricotta. The whole thing firms up so nicely that you can slice it like pound cake, creating an effortless, virtually instant no-bake peach cake.
Zuppa tartara means “raw soup,” because the ingredients aren’t cooked. This dessert is so light and easy to make that it might surprise you to learn that the recipe comes from an 1890s cookbook, the famed Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi.
chi ha il
mestolo in mano fa la
minestra a suo modo.
WHOEVER HOLDS THE SPOON
MAKES THE SOUP HIS WAY.
Ricotta cheese 8 ounces/225 grams
Sugar 2 teaspoons
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Peach jam 4 heaping tablespoons
Warm water ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces/60 milliliters)
Sweet liqueur or rum 2 tablespoons
12 savoiardi (crisp ladyfingers)
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, and cinnamon and beat with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
In a shallow bowl, combine the jam with the warm water and the liqueur. Dip the savoiardi, a few at a time, into the mixture until they are nicely moistened. Place 4 on a serving plate, side by side, and spoon half of the ricotta mixture over them. Top with small dollops of extra jam. Repeat. Finish with final layer of dipped savoiardi and a final drizzle of preserves, or any of the remaining preserves liquid and bits.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold.
SERVES 8 TO 10
REGION: Abruzzo, especially Teramo
This is a decadently rich almond-chocolate layer cake: three layers of sponge cake, each moistened with a different fabulous flavor, and each spread with chocolate-almond or vanilla custard. Called “pizza” because of its round shape, this recipe was taught to me by an octogenarian chef, Elio Pompa, who contributed so much to Italy’s cuisine that he was awarded the title “Cavaliere,” a sort of Italian knighthood.
chi mangia in pié,
mangia per tre.
EATING WHILE STANDING,
YOU EAT FOR THREE.
FOR THE PASTRY CREAMS:
Egg yolks 8 large
Sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces/100 grams)
All-purpose flour ½ cup (2 ounces/55 grams)
Milk 3 cups (24 fluid ounces/720 milliliters)
Heavy cream 1 cup (8 fluid ounces/240 milliliters)
Pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
Dark chocolate 1½ ounces/40 grams, finely chopped
Unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon
Generous handful of chopped blanched almonds
FOR THE CAKE LAYERS:
1 recipe Italian Sponge Cake (page 199), prepared in a 10-inch spring form pan
TO ASSEMBLE THE DESSERT:
Freshly brewed hot espresso ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces/180 milliliters)
Rum 4 tablespoons
Sugar
Alchermes (page 182) ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters)
Maraschino liqueur ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters)
Dark chocolate 4 ounces/115 grams
Chopped blanched almonds 1½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams)
Make the pastry creams: In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat, using an electric mixer or whisk, until creamy and light yellow. Mix in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Set aside.
Put the milk, cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until bubbles begin to appear at the edge of the pan. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and gradually beat the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk, making sure to beat until there are no lumps. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. The mixture should be thick, but not stiff. It will solidify as it cools.
Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour three quarters of the mixture into one bowl and one quarter into another bowl. Add the chocolate, cocoa powder, and almonds to the smaller amount, stirring until the chocolate is melted.
Cover both bowls with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the surface of the pastry cream so it doesn’t form a skin, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
Prepare the cake layers: Cool the cake to room temperature. Carefully slice off the top and bottom crusts and split the cake horizontally into 3 layers, with one layer slightly thicker than the other two. That will become the bottom layer.
Assemble the dessert:
Layer 1: Put the thicker layer of cake on a serving plate. In a small bowl, combine the hot espresso with 3 tablespoons sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rum then brush the syrup over the entire layer, soaking it well. Use all the syrup. Top with the chocolate-almond pastry cream, spreading it evenly.
Layer 2: Place another layer of cake over the chocolate-almond pastry cream. In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup (2½ fluid ounces/75 milliliters) water and ½ cup (3½ ounces/100 grams) sugar to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved and some of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the alchermes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup (4 fluid ounces/120 milliliters) hot water with ¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) of sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the maraschino liqueur and brush half of the syrup over the cake. Reserve the other half of the syrup for the final layer. Wait about 2 minutes for the syrup to be absorbed, then drizzle half of the alchermes mixture over the cake in a spiral pattern.
Spread evenly with half of the cold vanilla custard (reserving the remaining half for the final layer). Coarsely chop half of the chocolate and scatter it over the custard.
Layer 3: Drizzle the remaining alchermes syrup in a spiral pattern over the final layer of cake. Place it, alchermes side down, onto the custard. Brush the cake with the remaining maraschino syrup. Use all the syrup. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours, or overnight, so the cake can absorb all the ingredients and moisten.
Just before serving, spread the top and sides with the remaining vanilla custard. Generously sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the almonds, and garnish the top with the remaining chocolate, either shaved or finely chopped.
