courtney's cake - third bday surprise

For my birthday, Slinky Minx, the Platoon Commander of the Wine Angels made me a spectacular cake for morning tea at work. She baked the sponge the night before then assembled the masterpiece at work.
Given the sensitivity of this year’s birthday, it was so nice to have someone do this for me. It really meant a lot and I appreciated it.
Her bday is coming up soon – I better start thinking of something good!!!

Nanna’s Never-Fail Sponge
Recipe by Kath. Courtney's Nan.
Ingredients:
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup cornflour
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate soda
2 level teaspoon cream of tartar
Lemon cream filling (recipe below)
Passionfruit topping (recipe below)
White chocolate lattice (recipe below)
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180˚C.
2. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar and beat until dissolved.
3. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat very well (approx 10 minutes).
4. Sift cornflour, bicarbonate soda and cream of tartar together 3 – 4 times. Fold flour into egg mixture with a metal spoon. The secret to making is light sponge is the light folding technique. A beating action causes loss of air in the egg mixture and results in a heavy, flat cake.
5. Bake in 2 small, round lined tins in moderate oven for 20 minutes or one 22cm lined cake tin for approximately 30 minutes.
6. When completely cooled, slice each cake in half horizontally and place one cake layer onto a serving plate.
7. Spread with a quarter of the lemon cream, then top with another cake layer. Repeat with the remaining lemon cream and cake, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Use a fork to roughly spread the cream and create patterns.
8. Stir the passionfruit topping slightly to make it a little runny and, if necessary, add a little orange juice to thin it. Pour the topping evenly over the cake, allowing it to run down the side.
9. Stand the chocolate lattices on top. Serve immediately.
Note:
* Cake is best eaten on the day it is made. However unfilled sponges can be frozen for up to one month. Freeze separately.
* The lemon cream and passionfruit topping can be stored for up to 3 days.

Lemon Cream Filling
This recipe comes from "The Complete Cookies, Muffins & Cakes Cookbook" by Murdoch Books
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
90ml lemon juice
2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
180g unsalted butter, chopped
300ml thick cream
Method:
1. Put the yolks and sugar in a jug and beat well. Strain into a heatproof bowl and add the lemon rind, juice and butter.
2. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base does not touch the water. Stir constantly for 20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Cool
3. Whip the cream. Once the lemon curd has cooled completely, fold into the whipped cream. The consistency should be like thick sour cream.

Passionfruit Topping
This recipe comes from "The Complete Cookies, Muffins & Cakes Cookbook" by Murdoch Books
Ingredients:
185g passionfruit pulp*
3 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
Method:
1. Strain the passionfruit to separate the juice and seeds – you will need 125ml passionfruit juice and 1½ tablespoons of seeds.
2. Put the passionfruit juice, seeds, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan. (In the case of canned passionfruit, add directly to the saucepan).
3. In a separate bowl, mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of water until smooth and then add to the saucepan.
4. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, then pour into a small bowl, lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until cold.
Note:
* The recipe uses 6-8 fresh passionfruit, but a 175ml can also works fine

White Chocolate Lattice
100g white chocolate melts
1. Bring a saucepan containing a little water to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
2. Place the chocolate melts in a heatproof bowl, then place the bowl over the saucepan. Make sure the base of the bowl does not sit in the water. Stir the chocolate over the heat until it has completely melted.
3. Spoon the chocolate into a paper piping bag and pipe lattice patters onto a sheet of baking paper. Leave to set, then peel away the paper.