International Women’s Day Cake (Torta Mimosa) for March 8th

International Women’s Day cake is THE cake for the day’s celebrations! International Women’s Day has become more popular in the US over the past few years. In Italy, this mimosa cake is made on March 8th to celebrate the achievements of women the world over!

international Women's Day cake with mimosa and glasses

If you’ve ever seen a mimosa tree in bloom, you’ll appreciate this cake.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

It mimics the delicate yellow clusters of flowers to create a cake that is truly unique.

international Women's Day cake with mimosa

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day has been more widely celebrated outside the US until recently, however, the day came about due to events that occurred in the USA. This is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the globe and bring awareness to continued discrimination.

international Women's Day cake with mimosa and glasses

Looking for another sponge cake recipe? Try a British Victoria sandwich cake.

[TAG3]

What is a Mimosa Cake?

If there is a cake connected to International Women’s Day, it’s a mimosa cake, or torta mimosa (in Italian). This cake has two possible histories. One is that it was created in Rome in the 1950s to look like the flowers on a mimosa tree, which happens to be in bloom in early March. The other theory is that Italian mimosa cake was made for a contest in Sanremo, Italy, in 1962, according to Bombonette.

slice of International Women's Day cake with mimosa and glasses

How is an International Women’s Day Cake Made? How to Make a Mimosa Cake.

It’s more simple to make this cake than it appears. Two layers of sponge cake are baked. One is split into two or three layers, and the other is either cut into tiny cubes, or completely crumbled. A light pastry cream is then spread between the layers of the cake (which are soaked with a liqueur laced syrup) and all over the top and sides of the cake. The cubes or crumbs of sponge cake are then stuck to the exterior of the cake until it’s completely covered. It’s then optional to dust the International Women’s Day cake with powdered sugar.

forkful of Mimosa cake

International Women’s Day Cake (Torta Mimosa)

cake recipe inspired by Ricetta Della Nonna                        serves 10

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

   CAKE

  • cake flour
  • sugar
  • eggs

   SYRUP

  • water
  • sugar
  • Grand Marnier

   PASTRY CREAM

  • egg yolks
  • milk 
  • sugar
  • potato or corn starch
  • salt
  • vanilla beans/powder
  • heavy whipping cream
  • Grand Marnier (optional)

Oven temperature 350 F (175 C)

Prepare the Pastry Cream (before, or while the cakes are baking)

Make the pastry cream according to the crema pasticcera recipe below.

pastry cream with choux buns and vanilla beans

 

Once the pastry cream is made and chilled, fold in the Grand Marnier and whipped cream, then cover and  refrigerate once again.

Make the Cakes 

With ingredients at room temperature, beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer (or with hand beater) until super thick and pale (between 5-10 minutes, depending on the mixer). 

sponge cake batter

Fold flour into mixture a little at a time (by hand), carefully keeping in as much air as possible.

folding in flour

Gently spoon into prepared cake pans, and place into preheated oven.

pouring sponge mixture into pan

Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.

sponge cakes in pans

Remove from pan, place on a cooling rack, then peel off the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. It does not matter which side is on the rack as the entire cake is covered with cake pieces.

removing paper from cake

Make the Syrup for the International Women’s Day Cake

Simmer the sugar and water for about 3 minutes, then add the Grand Marnier and set aside to cool.

adding liqueur to syrup

Prepare the First Cake to Assemble

Trim off the top and bottom browned parts of both cakes. This is similar to taking crust off bread for tea sandwiches.

trimming off all the colored parts of the sponge cake

Cut one sponge cake in half with a bread knife (this one will be the main cake so choose the nicest of the two).

slicing the cake in half

Brush the top of each of these two layers with the syrup.

brushing the international women's day cake with syrup

Place one layer on a cake plate or serving tray and cover with some of the pastry cream (enough for a cake filling). Next, cover the top and sides with the remaining pastry cream.

mimosa cake after being filled

Prepare the Second Cake to Assemble 

Slice the other cake horizontally into three layers, then cut each layer into long, thin strips.

making cubes from the sponge cake

Continue cutting the strips into tiny cubes which will be used to decorate the cake.

making cubes of sponge cake

Assemble and Decorate the Mimosa Cake

Begin decorating the cake by dropping cubes onto the top of the sponge cake.

tossing cake cubes onto International women's day cake

Continue adding the cubes and pushing them onto the sides and top of the cake so that they cover the cake completely. It doesn’t take too long, and isn’t difficult to do.

decorating a Mimosa cake

Ta dah! That wasn’t so difficult, was it? Now you should refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours so that it can set, however, be sure to cover it to keep it from drying out. As much as I hate cling film, this is the best product for the job.

You can choose to serve the cake as is.

slice of International Women's Day cake with mimosa flowers

Or dust your beautiful mimosa cake with powdered sugar, which I prefer. It gives it a more “finished” look.

slice of international Women's Day cake with mimosa and glasses

All that’s left to do is open a bottle and slice the International Women’s Day cake!

slicing mimosa cake

Happy International Women’s Day to all women around the world!

slice of mimosa cake

I hope you’ll enjoy the International Women’s Day Cake Recipe!

Let me know in the comments below.

bite of mimosa cake or International Women's day cake

Sign up for my free subscription and never miss another post!

Mimosa cake with blossoms

International Women's Day Cake (Torta Mimosa) for March 8th

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A light sponge cake drenched in a boozy syrup, filled and covered with pastry cream and coated in tiny pieces of sponge cake.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 240 g (2 1/4 c) Baker's or caster sugar (fine sugar)
  • 5 eggs
  • 240 g (2 c) cake flour

Syrup

  • ¾ c water (175 ml)
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier

Filling and coating

  • One recipe of pastry cream made with 12 oz (350 ml) of milk, as the cream needs to be more thick. All other ing. remain the same (card below)
  • 4 oz (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

To decorate

  • Confectioner's/powdered sugar to dust (optional)

Instructions

Oven temperature 350 F (175 C)

Prepare the Pastry Cream (before, or while the cakes are baking)

  1. Make the pastry cream according to the crema pasticcera recipe below but use only 12 oz (350 ml) of milk. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
  2. Once the pastry cream is made and chilled, fold in the Grand Marnier and whipped cream, then cover and  refrigerate once again.

Make the Cakes

  1. With ingredients at room temperature, beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer (or with hand beater) until super thick and pale (between 5-10 minutes, depending on the mixer). 
  2. Fold flour into mixture a little at a time (by hand), carefully keeping in as much air as possible.
  3. Gently spoon into prepared cake pans, and place into preheated oven.
  4. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from pan, place on a cooling rack, then peel off the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. It does not matter which side is on the rack as the entire cake is covered with cake pieces.
  6. Gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
  7. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, place on a cooling rack, then peel off the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely.

Make the Syrup

Simmer the sugar and water for about 3 minutes, then add the Grand Marnier and set aside to cool.

Prepare the First Cake to Assemble

  1. Trim off the top and bottom browned parts of both cakes. This is similar to taking crust off bread for tea sandwiches.
  2. Cut one sponge cake in half with a bread knife (this one will be the main cake so choose the nicest of the two).
  3. Brush the top of each of these two layers with the syrup.
  4. Place one layer on a cake plate or serving tray and cover with some of the pastry cream (enough for a cake filling). Next, cover the top and sides with the remaining pastry cream.

Prepare the Second Cake to Assemble

  1. Slice the other cake horizontally into three layers, then cut each layer into long, thin strips.
  2. Cut each strip into tiny cubes which will be used to decorate the cake.

Assemble and Decorate the Mimosa Cake

  1. Begin decorating the cake by dropping cubes onto the top of the sponge cake.
  2. Continue adding the cubes and pushing them onto the sides and top of the cake so that they cover the cake completely. It doesn't take too long, and isn't difficult to do.
  3. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours so that it can set, however, be sure to cover it to keep it from drying out. As much as I hate cling film, this is the best product for the job.
  4. Serve the cake as-is, or dust with powdered sugar, which I prefer. It gives it a more "finished" look.

Notes

  • It is imperative that you use cake flour for the sponge or it will NOT turn out properly.
  • Use a scale for the very best results.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 447Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 0gSugar: 43gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

© adapted by Christina Conte
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Cakes & Pies
pastry cream and choux buns

Pastry Cream Recipe (Crema Pasticcera)

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Simple Italian pastry cream recipe (crema pasticcera) that is used for filling countless desserts and pastries.

Ingredients

  • 4 egg yolks (organic)
  • ⅓ c (75 g) sugar
  • 3 Tbsp (30g) potato starch (if using corn starch add 1 more tsp)
  • pinch of salt
  • 16 oz (500 ml) milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla or ½ tsp pure vanilla powder or paste

Instructions

  1. Place the egg yolks into a medium sized pot (off the heat).
  2. Add the sugar and potato or corn starch and whisk together until uniform.
  3. When the mixture is smooth, place the pot on the stovetop. Begin pouring in the warm milk whilst whisking. Turn the heat on to medium.
  4. Continue whisking and gradually increase the heat. The pastry cream will thicken as it heats up.
  5. When the mixture comes to a boil, let it cook for about 3 minutes then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and keep stirring as it cools so that it doesn't form a skin. Move into a large bowl and set the bowl into a larger bowl with ice water (if you need to cool it quickly), then refrigerate covered until completely chilled.
  6. Use as desired.

Notes

  • If you want a lighter version of this pastry cream, whip 4 oz of heavy whipping cream until stiff and then fold into the chilled pastry cream.
  • You can add more or less cream to your liking, and also add a little sugar to the cream when whipping (I prefer it without).
  • Adding a tablespoonful of Grand Marnier makes a lovely addition, too.
  • Pastry cream can be kept refrigerated for 1 or 2 days, but consume promptly once the pastries are filled.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

© Christina Conte
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Desserts
 

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The post International Women’s Day Cake (Torta Mimosa) for March 8th appeared first on Christina's Cucina.


Older Post Newer Post