Recipe: Castelnaudary Cake

1 Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks, then add the sugars three-quarters of the way through and stop after 3 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) (gas mark 5).

3 Using a skimmer, gently fold the flour into the whipped egg whites by lifting and cutting, then fold in the ground almonds.

4 Using a piping bag in a spiral motion, pipe 3 cake discs of 18 to 20 cm diameter onto a baking sheet, then place in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

5 Meanwhile, prepare the cream. Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until it reaches the soft ball stage, that is 250°F (120°C).

6 Place your egg yolks in a mixing bowl on medium speed, then quickly add the boiling sugar and continue mixing on low speed for another 7 to 8 minutes. When the cream is almost cold, add the butter cut into small cubes, let it mix for another 5 minutes, then add the diluted coffee. Your cream is ready.

7 Assembly and finishing: once your discs are baked and cooled, place one as the base, spread half the coffee cream over it with a spatula, then add the second disc, followed by the remaining coffee cream, and finally top with the last disc and dust with icing sugar. Your Castelnaudary cake is ready to be enjoyed. One tip: this cake is quite delicate, so it's best to cut it with a serrated knife like you would cut bread.