Homemade Gansitos: chiffon-style sponge bars with strawberry jelly, marshmallow cream, chocolate poured fondant and cocoa sprinkles

Sprinkles: whisk a very small amount of egg white with a pinch of salt, then keep adding powdered sugar and Dutch-processed cocoa (and a little black cocoa for colour) until very stiff and pipeable; loosen with a drop of water if overshot.

Pipe in long thin lines from a round tip held above parchment on a sheet tray, half a dozen to a dozen lines; leave to dry (ideally 24 hours).

Jelly: cut the strawberries to expose the flesh, coat with sugar in a saucepan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and hold at a gentle simmer to extract the juice.

Pectin stock: halve small unripe apples whole, cover with water and boil hard, topping up with water, until the apples are nearly falling apart.

Sponge: separate the eggs; beat the whites with half the sugar, a pinch of salt and cream of tartar to firm peaks.

Turn off the strawberries and let them keep releasing liquid.

Beat the yolks with the rest of the sugar, stream in the oil, add the cold milk and vanilla, then beat in the flour.

Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture, pour into an ungreased high-sided eight by eight pan and bang it on the counter to pop large bubbles.

Bake about 20 minutes, until evenly golden brown and springy in the centre.

Cool upside down, like an angel food cake, so it does not fall.

Strain the strawberry liquid through cheesecloth, pressing gently; strain the pectin stock.

Combine the strawberry liquid, pectin stock and a little lemon juice and cook down to 222F, testing for a wrinkle on a frozen plate (setting range 217 to 222).

Unmold, rub the eggy film off the top with fingertips, level off the raised border, and cut generous three-centimetre bars.

With a sharp bird beak knife at about 40 degrees, carve a trough down each bar, leaving a border, and round off the edges.

Chill the jelly over a little ice to thicken it so it does not soak into the sponge.

Marshmallow: sprinkle powdered gelatin over cold water and leave to soften.

Bring light corn syrup, water and sugar to 240F over medium heat.

Around 220F, start whipping the egg whites with a little salt and cream of tartar to at least soft peaks.

Stir the softened gelatin into the hot syrup to melt, stream into the whites and whip several minutes until very stiff and glossy; add the vanilla.

Fill each trough with jelly, then pipe the marshmallow over it with a basket weave tip, smooth side up, for full coverage.

Smooth the marshmallow edges down with a little spatula into a slight dome, sealing in the jelly; refrigerate to set.

Coating: combine confectioners' sugar, a little salt, corn syrup, vanilla, hot tap water and a pinch of cinnamon; stir in chocolate melted in the microwave (not tempered).

Lift the sprinkle lines from the parchment with a bench scraper, break them up and sift out the fine particles.

Thin the fondant with warm water and warm it briefly in the microwave until fluid.

Coat the bottom of each cake, ladle the glaze over the top, tap off, scatter sprinkles while wet, and move to a sheet tray.

Let set at room temperature or in the fridge, checking in about 20 minutes.