Celebrate the sunny flavors of spring with this limoncello infused sponge cake. It’s filled with sweetened cream cheese frosting and a generous helping of crushed Sconza Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds.
1tablespoonsvegetable shortening or coconut oilplus more for greasing egg shells
Assembly
1/4cuplimoncello liqueur
Reserved frosting in piping bag
Speckled candy almond eggs
Candy eggshells
Several sprigs of fresh mint
Instructions
Sponge Roll
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10×15 inch jelly-roll pan with white vegetable shortening and line with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs for 5 minutes with a timer set. Properly whipped eggs will lighten in color considerably and have the appearance of yellow cake batter. With the mixer still running, slowly add sugar and oil to the whipped eggs. Next, add milk and lemon extract. Switch the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to the liquid ingredients. Mix until well combined. Mix in food coloring a little at a time until a bright yellow color is achieved. Pour batter into the prepared pan and tilt pan to distribute batter evenly.
On a work surface, sprinkle a large cotton tea towel with the powdered sugar and rub sugar into the towel with your hands.
Bake for 7-10 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when pressed with fingers. Turn the cake onto the tea towel without delay. Peel off parchment and immediately roll cake into the tea towel, beginning at the narrow end. Roll tightly and as evenly as possible. Place rolled cake on a wire rack seam-side down and let cool completely. Meanwhile prepare the frosting.
Frosting
Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Add powdered sugar gradually. Add vanilla extract. Beat until a thick frosting forms. If the mixture looks lax, beat in more powdered sugar. Transfer 1/4 of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large French pastry tube. Set aside.
Add the chopped Sconza Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds to the remaining frosting and fold gently. Unroll the cooled cake and cover with the frosting. Roll the cake up tightly, and then roll the cake into a sheet of plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the speckled almonds and candy eggshells.
Speckled candy Almond Eggs
Place the cocoa powder in a small condiment cup and mix with a little limoncello or vodka until a loose consistency paste is formed. Place the almonds in a deep baking pan. Dip a stiff bristle art brush in the chocolate mixture and pull back the bristles with a finger and release. Do this repeatedly until the almonds are speckled. Let stand until dry, about 15 minutes.
Candy egg shells
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Place a cooling rack over a baking tray. Crack the eggs by tapping them with a spoon on the most pointed end. Once egg tip is cracked, pinch away just enough of the egg shell top for the egg white and yolk to pour out. Wash the shells in warm water. Rub your finger on the inside to remove any bits of the membrane. Place the cleaned egg shells onto the cooling rack and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the sterilized egg shells cool completely. Lightly grease inside of egg shells with shortening using a finger.
Combine the candy melts with the shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals in the microwave until melted and smooth. Pour melted candy into the egg shells and turn to coat. Pour excess candy out of the shells into the bowl. Place the shells on a baking sheet or in a cake pan and freeze until solid, about 10 minutes. When candy is set, peel away the egg shell to reveal the candy egg.
Assembly
Remove the chilled cake from the plastic wrap to a serving plate. Brush generously with the limoncello liqueur. Pipe a line of frosting down the top center of the cake. Place the speckled almonds in the candy egg shells and arrange on top of the frosting line on the cake. Arrange additional speckled almonds around the candy eggsshells. Add mint leaves and sprigs on top of the cake and inside the candy egg shells with the speckled almonds. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator under plastic wrap.
Notes
Mint leaves and sprigs will wilt over time. Add them to the cake just before serving.