Fresh Berry Tiramisu

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease, or line with parchment, a 13- x 18-inch half-sheet pan or two 9-inch square pans. Using two 9-inch squares will give you slightly thicker cake layers and one more pan to wash, using a half sheet pan has some trim waste, but there's less dishwashing involved.

To make the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Combine the eggs, sugar and almond extract in a large mixing bowl.

Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle one third of the dry ingredients over the egg mixture, and fold them in with a whisk, taking care not to deflate the batter. Repeat twice more with the remaining dry ingredients, then pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). If you're using two 9-inch square pans, divide the batter evenly between them.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched with a finger. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the pan while still warm. Place the cake on a rack to cool completely before taking it out of the pan.

To make the syrup: Combine all the syrup ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture is clear, remove the syrup from the heat, strain it, and allow it to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling: Place the mascarpone in a mixing bowl, and stir in the orange zest. Add the whipping cream a third at a time, stirring between additions until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the confectioner's sugar.

To assemble: Flip the cooled cake out of its baking pan or pans onto a piece of parchment paper. If you've baked on parchment, peel the parchment off the back. Pull the paper straight back, keeping it parallel to the surface of the cake, this will discourage any bits of cake from coming off with the paper.

Slice the cake in half down the middle, to make two roughly 9 by 13-inch rectangles. Trim the rectangles to make 9-inch squares.