Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease two 6-inch round cake pans. Place a round parchment paper at the bottom of the pans.

Grind the pistachio to a powder consistency. I preferred using a coffee grinder rather than a food processor.

To a big mixing bowl, add the ground pistachio (save 1 teaspoon to dust on top for garnish), flour and salt. Give it a mix.

Melt the butter and keep it aside.

Using a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites at medium speed for 1 minute or until it looks a little frothy. Then, increase the speed to medium and add the sugar little by little and continue whisking. Once you are done adding all the sugar, stop the mixer and using a rubber spatula, scrape the side of the bowl. Whisk again for about 8 minutes or until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Add little of the egg white mixture to the flour mixture and start folding slowly. This process will take time and as you keep adding egg whites little by little, the consistency of the batter will get better. Finally, add the melted butter and fold again to mix everything. (Don’t rush this step and take your time)

Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. The cake will rise a bit and then, it will settle down to a flat top. Let the cake cool down completely before you take it out of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 225F and line a big cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In your mixing bowl, pour the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Start whisking slowly and then increase the speed to medium until the mixture looks frothy.

Pour 1 tablespoon of sugar, increase the speed to high and keep whisking. After every 20 seconds, add 1tablespoon of sugar without stopping the mixer and continue whisking. Repeat the process until you have added all the sugar.

In about 5 to 7 minutes, it would look glossy and form stiff peak.

Using a piping bag pipe half of the meringue into drops to make meringue cookies. As for the meringue chard spread the meringue using a spatula.

Place the cookie sheets in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Then, switch off the oven and let it rest in the warm oven for an extra hour.

Whisk mascarpone and heavy cream at medium speed until it looks thick and spreadable. Add the lemon curd and whisk 1 more time.

Once the cake has cooled down completely, you can divide each cake into 2 layers or leave as is, depending on your preference. Spread the frosting evenly between the layers of the cake. I did a very thin layer on the side of the cake and piped a little on top. You can go with your choice of frosting design.

Slice the lemons into very thin slices. Place a heavy bottom skillet on medium heat. Pour water and sugar and bring it to a boil. Drop the lemon slices, bring the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Once done, place the lemon slices on a cookie wire rack. It will take about 4 to 5 hours to set and cool down.

Top the cake with candied lemons, meringue cookies and meringue chards. Sprinkle the remaining pistachio powder on top and it’s ready.