Ingredients for 16 sospiri
for the sponge cake:
150 g flour
5 eggs
120 g of sugar
baking powder
for the custard:
500 ml of fresh whole milk
60 g flour
100 g of sugar
3 egg yolks
the zest of a whole lemon
for the icing (or “u naspr “):
7 tablespoons powdered sugar
water
a few drops of lemon juice
for garnish:
16 candied cherries
Separate the yolks from the white eggs. In a bowl, put the egg yolks with the sugar and beat with a whisk until creamy. Add the flour and two teaspoons of baking powder. Beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt and add to mixture, stirring from the bottom. Now pour it into muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Once ready, remove from the oven, let them cool, remove them from the mold and put them to cool.
Proceed with the preparation of the custard. In a saucepan heat the milk. In another saucepan beat the egg yolks with the sugar with a mixer for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir. Add the hot milk. Add the lemon zest, eliminating the white part that is bitter. Put everything on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the cream begins to thicken. Remove the lemon peel and pour the custard into a bowl, covering it with plastic wrap, making sure it adheres to the surface of the cream and let cool.
Now take the ‘sospiri’ , cut them in half, horizontally and hollowed out the bottom with a pipe cleaner, to remove a bit of cake, while leave the upper part intact. Fill the hollowed part with the custard, using a spoon or a sac-a-poche, and close the top.
Prepare the glaze, in dialect ‘u naspr’. Dissolve the icing sugar with of water until creamy. Then add in a few drops of lemon juice and let it harden in the refrigerator. Once the glaze has thickened, let it drip on your sospiri and let it dry. Lie a candied cherry on the top of each of them, put them in paper cups and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
