Double Temptation (or Double Delight - adapting 'πειρασμός' for a sweet context)
Recipe by Chrystalla Georgiou

INGREDIENTS
For the Sponge Cake
- • 6 Eggs
- • 1 ½ Cups (300g) Sugar
- • 2-3 Spoons Milk
- • 1 Spoon Cognac
- • 2 Cups (250g) 'Farina 00' Flour (Fine Wheat Flour)
- • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- • 2 Packets Vanilla
For the Rose Cream
- • 1 Cup Rose Syrup
- • Water to make 1 liter total Water
- • 4 Spoons (80g) Cornstarch
For the Mandarin Cream
- • 1 Liter Fresh Mandarin Juice
- • 3 ½ Grams Sugar
- • 4 Spoons (80g) Cornstarch, Mandarin Zest
METHOD
- 1. Place the eggs and sugar in the mixer bowl and beat until they become fluffy, pale, and double in volume.
- 2. Add the milk and cognac, then take it off the mixer. Add the flour, baking powder, and vanilla, gently folding with a spatula (rubber scraper).
- 3. Be careful not to let the air escape. Pour the mixture into a rectangular baking pan lined with non-stick parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35-40 minutes.
- 4. If you prefer, you can bake the sponge cake in smaller trays and make various cakes.
- 5. When the sponge cake cools, cut it and sprinkle it with syrup from preserved mandarin and a little rose water, or whatever sweet syrup you have on hand (citrus syrup works best).
For the Rose Cream:
- 1. Dissolve the 1 cup of rose syrup in water (to have a total of 1 liter). Take a little of the mixture into a bowl and add the cornstarch. Stir until dissolved.
- 2. Put the remaining rose syrup mixture on the heat, and when it gets warm, pour in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until it thickens, lower the heat, and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- 3. Place a piece of sponge cake, which you have sprinkled with syrup and a little rose water, on the bottom of a glass baking dish. Pour the rose cream over it. Cover with another piece of sponge cake and sprinkle with syrup and rose water.



