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1
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, gradually adding granulated sugar.
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2
Next, mix in the egg yolks one at a time, just enough to combine.
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3
Sift together flour, baking powder, and cornstarch; gradually & gently fold into the egg mixture to combine - be careful not to deflate the egg whites by overmixing.
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4
Line a large nonstick springform pan with parchment paper and fill with the batter.
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5
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (175 C or gas mark 2) for 30 minutes - it will only rise up partway.
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6
Let cool completely.
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7
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the cream in a small pan over medium-low heat, then stir in the milk chocolate until it melts and is smooth(takes about 5 minutes.)
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8
Remove pan from heat and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature.
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9
Finely grate the bittersweet chocolate using a microplane grater and divide into two portions.
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10
Beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream until stiff peaks form.
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11
Stir chopped nuts and half (one portion) of the grated chocolate gently into the cooled melted chocolate mixture.
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12
Gently fold together the whipped cream and the cooled melted chocolate mixture until just combined.
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13
Remove ring from springform pan and carefully slice the cake into three even (very thin)layers using a large serrated knife.
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14
Place one cake layer on a large plate, spread with 1/3 of the chocolate ganache, then top with another cake layer, another layer of 1/3 of the ganache, followed by another cake layer.
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15
Spread the remaining chocolate ganache mixture all over the top and sides of the cake.
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16
Chill for 2 hours.
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17
Knead the marzipan(with enough powdered sugar to make it sweet if unsweetened) until well blended and soft like playdough, this takes about 5-10 minutes by hand (optional: you may use food coloring paste to dye the marzipan green if desired.)
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18
Place marzipan between two sheets of wax papper and roll out into very flat circle, about the size of your springform pan.
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19
Set a plate on top of the marzipan and use the plate as a guide to cut out a perfect circle; then cut circle into 16 triangles.
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20
Set the marzipan triangles in a spiral around the top of the chilled cake, pressing down slightly so they stick - there should be very narrow gaps between each triangle - if desired, curl up the pointy tips decoratively first.
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21
Coat the sides of the cake with some the remaining grated chocolate (save just a bit to sprinkle on top later).
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22
Beat the remaining 3/4 cups of cream with the vanilla sugar to taste until stiff peaks form.
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23
Shortly before serving, garnish cake with swirls of the whipped vanilla cream, the remaining chopped nuts, and sprinkle any remaining grated chocolate on top.
