Traditional Carnival Sweet ( prinjolata )

Ingredients

30 sponge fingers

2 egg whites

250g sugar 

3 tablespoons water

150g pine nuts

a few drops vanilla essence 

glace cherries

melted chocolate

american frosting

Butter cream 

225g margarine 

300g icing sugar

drop of vanilla essence

Method

Make butter cream by beating butter and sugar till light . Add the vanilla essence . Place the egg whites , sugar and water in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and with a rotary whisk beat until stiff . Remove from heat and cool . When cool fold the egg mixture into the butter cream adding 3/4 of the pine nuts . Oil a pudding basin and place sponge fingers , which have been cut into bite size pieces , with the butter cream mixture in layers . Let stand overnight or place in fridge for a couple of hours . Turn out , and cover with american frosting . Decorate with the remaining pine nuts cherries and chocolate