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1
Preheat the oven to 350u00b0F. Line a 9 inch cake pan and a 7 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
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2
Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat until stiff using an electric hand mixer. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar until the mixture is glossy. Beat in the vanilla extract and egg yolks, one-by-one. Mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder together, then carefully fold into the egg mixture. Divide the mixture between the two cake pans, placing a larger portion in the bigger pan. Bake the small cake for 25-30 mins, until golden and the larger cake for 30-35 mins. The cakes are ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
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3
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in the pans for 45 mins to 1 hour on a wire cooling rack. Remove from the pans and leave to cool completely.
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4
To make the marzipan roses, knead together 1/3 lb marzipan and 1/2 cup powdered sugar on a clean work surface. Add a few drops of pink food coloring and knead until evenly distributed. Place the marzipan between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out small circles, then gently flatten the edges of each circle. Using your fingers, roll one circle into a tube. Flute the edges at one side to create the center of the rose. Take a second 'petal' and lightly wrap it around the first. Flute the edges once more. Repeat so that you have 4-5 petals around the central petal. Repeat the process so that you have enough roses to decorate the cake. Leave to set for at least 4 hours.
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5
Once the roses have dried, use a small paintbrush to brush egg white over the edges of the petals. Immediately dust the petals with 1/4 cup sugar so that it sticks. Set aside.
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6
Slice each sponge cake into thirds horizontally. Sprinkle liqueur over the cut pieces of cake. Finely grind the walnuts. Beat the cream, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract together until stiff. Fold in the walnuts. Spread the walnut cream over the lower 2 tiers of both cakes. Stack the layers on top of each other in order and chill for 15-20 mins.
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7
Heat the jam slightly and mix until smooth. Brush the jam over the outside of both cakes.
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8
Knead the remaining marzipan with 1 2/3 cup powdered sugar until thick and smooth. Reserve 2/3 of the mixture and place between two pieces of waxed paper. Roll out to make a 16 inch diameter circle then carefully lay it over the large cake. Trim away the excess and re-roll the marzipan to make another circle. Lay this over the smaller cake and trim.
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9
Mix 1 egg white with the remaining powdered sugar to make a thick, smooth icing. Transfer the icing to a freezer bag and cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe icing onto the sides of the cake, using the picture as a guide. Decorate with roses. Set the cake aside until the icing sets then serve.
