Lemon Cake with Sliced Almonds

Preheat oven to 180°C (approximately 350°F). For the cake, separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Cream yolks with sugar until white and creamy. Mix flour and cornstarch and carefully stir into egg yolk mixture. Fold in egg white mixture and pour into a springform pan lined with baking paper. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

For the filling, mix lemon juice with sugar in a saucepan and heat. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and use to thicken lemon-sugar mixture. Remove from heat and cool. Soak gelatin in cold water. Remove baked cake, cool, remove cake ring and cut in half horizontally to make 2 cake layers. Spread lemon pudding on bottom cake layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Beat heavy cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until stiff. Mix quark with vanilla seeds, lemon zest and remaining sugar until smooth. Heat gelatin in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of quark mixture and then add back to quark mixture. Gradually fold in cream. Place a cake ring around bottom cake layer, spread filling on top and refrigerate for 30 minutes.