Beat the egg yolks with 40 g – 1½ oz of sugar, grated lemon peel, and scraped vanilla until pale and fluffy.

Add the almond meal and mix well.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar and a pinch of salt.

Mix together the cornstarch and flour, then sift into the egg-yolk mixture, alternating with additions of the beaten egg whites. Fold gently so as not to deflate the mixture.

Grease and coat with flour some semi-sphere tins and fill them ¾ full with the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 170 °C – 340 °F for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

When ready, unmould them and place on a wire rack to cool.

Grate the peel of the lemon and then juice it. Put the grated peel in a bowl with the lemon juice and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale, then add 40 g – 1½ oz lemon juice and grated peel. Keep mixing.

Cook this mixture over low heat, stirring continuously, until it reaches 80 °C – 176 °F. Remove from the heat and place the pot over a double boiler filled with cold water (this helps stop the cooking process). Blend with a stick mixer until smooth. Let cool to 50 °C – 122 °F, then add the chopped butter and continue blending until smooth.

Cover with cling wrap (make sure it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form) and refrigerate until completely cold.

In a pot, combine the milk, cream, lemon peel, and scraped vanilla bean. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Let it infuse for 1 hour, then strain.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until pale. Slowly add the strained milk mixture.

Cook over medium heat until it reaches 82 °C – 180 °F, then cover with cling wrap (make sure it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form) and refrigerate until completely cold.

Dissolve the sugar in the water and add the lemon peel. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain, then stir in the Limoncello.

Mix together the Lemon Cream and Lemon Crema Pasticcera (make sure they are both cold). Add 30 g – 1 oz Limoncello and 30 g – 1 oz sweetened whipped cream, and mix well.

Put this cream in a piping bag and fill the sponge cakes by making a small hole at the bottom (you can use a knife to make the hole before piping in the cream). Fill them as generously as possible. Reserve the remaining cream.

Using a toothpick, prick the sponges on all sides and brush with the Limoncello syrup.

To the remaining cream, add 125 g – ½ cup sweetened whipped cream and 60 g – ⅓ cup milk to form a smooth, thick glaze.

Cover the delizie with the glaze and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

When ready to serve, decorate with some whipped cream and lemon zest.