Grease both cake pans with butter all over and line the bottom with baking parchment. Dust the sides of the cake pans with flour and shake out any excess. Pre-heat your oven to 160C (320F) static (no fan).

Put the 6 eggs, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt in your mixer and start to whisk the eggs on medium speed for about 15-20 minutes until pale, thick and fluffy. You’ll know the eggs are whipped enough when you can draw a ribbon in the mixture without it immediately disappearing.

Once whipped, gently sift the flour and cornstarch into the batter 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Fold the flours gently into the eggs after each addition (make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you’re folding to make sure there aren’t any pockets of flour).

Divide the batter between two prepared 8 inch cake tins and bake on the bottom shelf of your oven for 40 minutes. Once done, leave the cakes in the oven with the door a jar for 5 minutes before removing them.

Once the tins are cool enough to touch (5-10 minutes). Run a knife along the edge of the tins and remove the cakes. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Tip: make the pastry cream when the cakes are in the oven.

Add the milk and vanilla to a saucepan. Peel the lemon using a vegetable peeler making sure you don’t remove too much white pith and add that to the milk. Bring to a simmer then turn off the heat immediately.

Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a large bowl and whisk in the sugar until combined. Once combined add the cornstarch and whisk until dissolved.

Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture whilst whisking then pour it all back into the saucepan. Heat on a medium-low heat and whisk until pale and thick. It’s ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon and you can draw a clear line through it without it dripping.

Pour the pastry cream into a medium sized baking dish and spread it out so it cools quickly. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream so it doesn’t form a skin.

Pour ½ cup (125ml) of water into a small saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer until the sugar has fully dissolved. Pour the sugar water into a bowl to cool down.

Once cooled, add 2 tablespoons of Strega or Limoncello liqueur.

Add the heavy cream to the bowl of your mixer and whip on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to whip the cream to stiff peaks (be very careful not to overwhip as this happens quickly).

Transfer to the fridge until you are ready to use.

Remove the top crust from one of the sponges (take off as little as possible and cut it flat and even). Cut the sponge into 3 layers.

To assemble the mimosa cake, put the bottom layer of sponge cake on your cake stand or serving plate and brush over the sugar water. Spread ⅓ of the filling over that layer then top with the next layer. Brush over more sugar water and add another ⅓ of the filling. Make sure to spread it out evenly so the cake stays level.

Finally, top with the final layer and use the remaining cream to spread all over the top and sides of the cake until it’s completely covered. Cover the cake in the small sponge cubes until completely covered and serve.