Swedish princess cake (Prinsesstårta)

1. Whisk the eggs with the sugar for 8-10 minutes until thick, pale and doubled in volume; sift over the flour and starch and fold in gently.

2. Pour the mixture into a 24 cm cake tin lined with baking paper and bake at 175 °C for 35-40 minutes; cool completely, then cut horizontally into three layers.

3. Whip the cream until stiff; fold a third of it into the vanilla custard and set the rest aside.

4. Spread the bottom layer with the raspberry jam and half the vanilla cream, place the second layer on top, spread with the remaining cream, then top with the third layer.

5. Pile the whipped cream on top in a dome and smooth the sides with a palette knife; chill for 30 minutes to set.

6. Roll the marzipan out on a surface dusted with icing sugar into a thin round of about 40 cm, drape it over the cake, smooth it down around the sides, trim off the excess and serve dusted with icing sugar.

Tip: Prinsesstårta was created in the 1930s by Jenny Åkerström, teacher of the Swedish royal princesses, and the girls loved it so much that it was named after them. The traditional marzipan is bright green, topped with a pink marzipan rose - if you like, colour it with a few drops of green food colouring. The cake is best after resting in the fridge for a few hours, so it slices neatly.