Hyssop and Rose Sponge Layer Cake

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dried hyssop leaves
• 6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/3 cup rose jam
• 1 cup cold heavy cream

Directions

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 325 degrees F. Put the hyssop leaves in a small bowl, add the boiling water, and steep for 3 minutes. Pour the infusion through a fine mesh strainer into a 1-cup liquid measure, then add cold water as needed to bring the total back to 6 tablespoons, which is 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Put it aside until cool.
2. In a medium bowl, or in a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale, light, and trails off the whisk in ribbons. Stir in the cooled hyssop water. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix only until the batter comes together. Don’t get ambitious here; overmixing is not your friend.
3. Using a clean bowl and a fresh whisk, or a thoroughly washed stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. You want them dry-looking enough to hold their shape, but still glossy.
4. Mix about 1/4 of the whipped whites into the yolk batter to loosen it. Fold in the rest in 3 or 4 additions with a rubber spatula, working gently so you keep as much lift as possible. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper, then add the batter. It should sit just under the rim; any extra can go into a separate small ramekin. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the surface feels set and bounces back when you press it lightly.
5. Run a knife around the sides of the pan, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut it into thirds. Once the slices are fully cool, spread the rose jam evenly over one layer. Set the middle layer on top. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, spread it over the middle layer, and finish with the top layer. If you’d like cleaner edges, trim the sides into a neat rectangle. Serve right away, or cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight to deepen the hyssop flavor.