Start this recipe by preparing the sweet ricotta filling. Whip the cream to stiff peaks in a medium sized bowl. Add in all the remaining ingredients and mix together lightly till all the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and place the cream in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes. Next, slice the sponge horizontally into 3 pieces. Place the bottom piece of sponge on a serving plate and soak with a little of the liqueur. Spread over half of the prepared ricotta filling and cover with another layer of sponge. Soak again with liqueur and spread over the remaining ricotta filling. Cover with the remaining sponge and press down. Use a pastry brush to glaze the sponge all over with the heated apricot jam so that the marzipan will stick to it. Put the cake aside while you roll out the marzipan to a large circle using a rolling pin. Cover the filled cake completely with the marzipan and cut off any excess. Decorate the top with piped whipped cream, chocolate pieces and glace` cherries. Chill well in the fridge before serving.

Suggested wine: Fontanafredda Moscato D’Asti
This is a wine for celebrations, and is ideal with all desserts. The fragrance of its aroma, which comes direct from the grapes, imbues this wine with an intense nose of musk, locust and orange flowers, sage and honey, and the lingering of its carefree flavour brings out the brightest of spirits. The warmth arid light that the sun has shed on the vineyards are reproduced in the glass, where this clear, straw-yellow wine has a pleasantly sweet taste that is very well-balanced and features honey and just-picked grapes.