Cake Layer    1/2 cup butter (or 1 cup if you want a really rich cake)    1/2 cup granulated sugar    1/4 tsp salt    4 egg yolks    1 tsp vanilla    3 Tbsp milk    1 cup all-purpose flour    1 tsp baking powder

Meringue Layer    4 egg whites    3/4 cup granulated sugar    1/2 tsp ground cinnamon    1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds (optional, better with the jam version    than with the berries)

Whipped Cream    1 cup whipping cream    2 Tbsp sugar

OR

Brown Sugar Sour Cream    1 cup sour cream    2 Tbsp brown sugar    1/2 cup whipping cream

Berries    2 cups berries    2 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two round, 8- or 9-inch cake pans.

Cream the butter with 1/2 cup sugar and salt, then beat in egg yolks, vanilla, and milk. Stir in flour and baking powder. Beat until well incorporated and the batter is smooth. Spread mixture in cake pans.

Beat egg whites with 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon until stiff. Spread meringue over the batter in pans. It’s hard to do this evenly. Don’t worry too much about it. Top with almonds.

Bake the cake layers for 30 minutes (or about 25 if you use the bigger pans) or until cake just begins to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven, cool slightly, and remove cakes from pans to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the whipped cream, just add the sugar to the chilled cream and whip. (It helps slightly to chill the bowl and beaters, but it isn’t necessary.)

If making the sour cream mix, add the brown sugar to the sour cream. Whip the whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks and then mix it into the sour cream mix. It lightens it and makes it creamier and a little less tangy.

Wash the berries and then take out the stems. (Never take the stems out before washing them — that lets water into the berries.) Slice them into a bowl and toss them with the sugar. Do this about 20 minutes before serving.

Just before serving, place either some berries and cream or some jam on the bottom layer, then place the top layer on and add more berries and cream or, if you are using jam, just put whipped cream on top. Serve immediately.