Cherry Layer Cake with Decorative Icing

Preheat the convection oven to 160°C (approximately 325°F). Line 3 baking pans (20 cm diameter) with parchment paper and butter the sides.

Drain the cherries (saving the juice) and chop very finely. Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze the juice. Mix the nuts, flour, cornstarch and baking powder together in a bowl. Melt the butter in a pot.

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat until fluffy with an electric mixer. Add the lemon juice and zest and 2-3 tablespoons of the cherry juice. Add the melted butter alternating with the flour mixture and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Stir in the chopped cherries. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Color each with the food coloring in different shades. Pour three of the batters into the prepared pans, smooth and place in oven for about 30 minutes to bake. Check with a toothpick for doneness.

Remove from the oven, let cool briefly, remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack. Bake the rest of the batter portions in the pans, then let cool completely.

For the filling, soak the gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Stir together the lemon zest, mascarpone, quark, sugar and vanilla sugar. Heat the lemon juice in a saucepan and melt the drained gelatin in it. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the cream, then stir the gelatin into the rest of the cream.

Place one cake layer on a plate and spread thinly with the filling. Place another layer, spread with cream and continue to layer the cake in this manner until finished.The top layer should have no cream on top. Remove excess filling on the side of the cake with a scraper. Place the cake in the refrigerator.

Mix the egg white with 2/3 of the powdered sugar and add the rest gradually. The mixture should be light and creamy, so that it has stability, but is still malleable. Beat for about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Remove about half of the icing and add pink food coloring. Ice the sides and top of the cake, then let it dry. Pour the remaining icing into a small piping bag with a round tip and refrigerate.

Remove a small portion of the fondant and knead with a little red color so that the base is pink. Roll out about 5 mm (approximately 1/8 inch) thick on a board lightly dusted with baking starch into an elongated strip. Create a wavy edge on one side of the fondant strip using a small roller. Apply the strip to the top edge of the cake and secure it with the remaining icing.