Coconut Mont-Blanc: the best recipe

Preparation of the sponge cake: separate the egg whites and yolks. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.

Preheat the oven. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture turns pale. Then add the vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar), the cinnamon, and sift in the flour with the baking powder. Gently fold in the egg whites into the previous mixture using a spatula.

Pour the mixture into a greased and floured cake pan. Place in the oven for 25 minutes at 150°C (thermostat 5). The sponge is done when a knife inserted into it comes out completely dry. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

Preparation of the cream: In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup of water, bitter almond extract, and the zest of a lime, and heat over low heat until boiling. Then add the cornstarch dissolved in a little milk so that the mixture thickens without lumps. Remove from heat and let cool.

When the biscuit is well cooled, cut it in half to obtain two halves. Soak the two halves with the old rum. Spread half of the cream on the bottom part of the biscuit, then cover with the other half. Coat the cake with the remaining cream as well as its edges. Generously cover with shredded coconut. Arrange the ladyfingers all around and beautifully place the candied cherries on top.

To finish, let rest in the refrigerator overnight.