Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two round 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray the center only.
2. Combine the flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. Place the egg yolks, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until very pale yellow and very fluffy.
4. Place the egg whites in a clean and dry bowl with a clean whisk. Beat until the whisk leaves a trail in the egg whites and the whites are at the soft peak stage. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat to medium peaks. Do not over beat the whites. Pour the egg yolk mixture and half the flour over the egg whites. Gently fold in. Fold in the remaining flour. Take about 1 cup of batter and whisk into the butter; return this to the main amount of batter and fold in.
5. Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans and bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned and the center springs back when lightly touched or a cake tester comes out clean.

Orange Syrup

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar with juice and water and bring to boil, let it boil for 1 minute, remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

Pastry Cream:

1. Bloom the gelatin: break the sheet into 3 pieces, place in a bowl and cover with cold water and set aside until you prepare the cream.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to boil
3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a heat resistant bowl. Whisk in the flour.  Add the milk slowly, whisking well and scraping the corners of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the egg yolk mixture is incorporated. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, orange zest, remove gelatin from water and give it a squeeze to get the excess water out and add to the mixture. Mix until incorporated, Add the butter and whisk to melt.  Pour into a shallow depth dish and covered the top with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the cake is ready.

Assembling the cake:

Slice the cakes to three even layers, brush each layer with the orange syrup and set aside, fill a pastry bag with pastry cream & pipe on each layer, Stack the cake layers on top of each other, top with fresh fruits and if you happen to have sour orange jam at home, brush the glaze over the fresh oranges and decorate the sides of the cake with orange slices.

The bitter orange flavor blends so perfectly with the pastry cream and the additional fresh oranges bring all the flavors together in one delicious bite.