Peach Mascarpone Torte

For the crust, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and vanilla sugar. Cut butter into pieces and add to flour mixture with egg. Cut crust mixture together with a knife until crumbly and quickly knead by hand to a smooth dough. Line bottom of springform pan 28 cm diameter (approximately 11 inches diameter) with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a floured surface into a circle, set in prepared pan and prick several times with a fork. Bake crust in oven preheated to 200°C (fan: 180°C, gas mark 3-4)(approximately 400°F) for about 15 minutes. Remove crust from pan and let cool.

For the chocolate cake, beat eggs, water, sugar and vanilla sugar until thick and frothy. Mix flour, cornstarch, cocoa and baking powder, sift over egg mixture and fold in with a whisk. Line bottom of springform pan 26 cm diameter (approximately 10 inches diameter) with parchment paper. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in oven preheated to 180°C (fan: 160°C, gas mark 2-3)(approximately 350°F) for about 25 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert pan to remove cake to a wire rack lined with parchment paper. Remove parchment paper from cake and let cake cool.

For the yellow cake, beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and 1 tablespoon hot water until fluffy and thick. Sift flour over egg mixture and fold in with a whisk. Pour batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and smooth. Bake cake in oven preheated to 200°C (approximately 400°F) for 8-10 minutes. Invert baking sheet to remove cake onto a dish towel sprinkled with sugar. Carefully peel parchment paper off cake and cut off browned edges. For brushing, gently heat 150 g (approximately 1/2 cup) apricot jam and brush over yellow cake. Gently fold both long sides of yellow cake inwards towards the center and cut into about 22 slices about 1.5 cm thick (approximately 2/3 inch thick).

For soaking, boil water with sugar in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes. Add peach liqueur to soaking mixture and let cool slightly. Cut chocolate cake horizontally into two layers and sprinkle with soaking mixture.

For the mascarpone cream, soak gelatin in cold water for about 5 minutes. Mix mascarpone, sugar, vanilla sugar, peach juice and lemon juice. Dissolve dripping-wet gelatin in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir 1-2 tablespoons mascarpone mixture into gelatin to temper. Stir gelatin mixture into remaining mascarpone mixture and refrigerate until partially set. Beat cream until stiff and fold into mascarpone mixture.

Set crust on a serving plate and brush with remaining apricot jam. Place a cake ring around crust. Set yellow cake rolls with open ends down around inside rim of cake ring on crust. Place bottom chocolate cake layer on crust. Smoothly spread half of the mascarpone cream over bottom cake layer, top with top cake layer and remaining mascarpone cream. Refrigerate torte for about 3 hours.