Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the base of a 20 cm/ ca 8-inch springform with baking paper. Don't line or butter the sides of the form.

Separate the eggs.

Beat the egg whites and the warm water until stiff peaks start to form. Slowly and gradually add the sugar while beating all the time until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl with a fork. Add them to the egg whites and incorporate them very carefully.

In another bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Sieve them over the egg mixture and incorporate carefully using a silicone spatula or a larger spoon.

Pour the mixture into the prepared springform and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.

Remove the cake from the springform and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Place the egg yolks, whiskey, sugar into a heat-proof bowl, and beat on bain-marie for about 10-13 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. You will have to stand by and whisk continuously.

Make sure that the water doesn't start to boil at any time, if it does it will ruin your mixture. If the water starts to simmer, remove from the heat, continue whisking, and only return to the heat when the water has cooled down a bit, so it will not simmer anymore.

When the mixture has thickened slightly, remove it from the heat and mix in the instant cappuccino powder. Leave to cool completely.

When the egg mixture has reached room temperature, add the cream cheese to it and incorporate, the mixture should be smooth.

Place the gelatin sheets in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Let bloom according to the packet's instructions, 10 minutes in my case.

When the gelatin has bloomed, place it in a saucepan (large enough to hold the entire egg-cream cheese mixture + the whipped cream at the end). Place the saucepan on the lowest heat possible and start dissolving it while stirring continuously with a spoon. This is a matter of seconds, do not let the gelatin overheat or start boiling. Just stir for 10-15 seconds or until it becomes liquid without starting to simmer.

Add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to the dissolved gelatin and stir vigorously and thoroughly until completely incorporated. Add another tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and stir again until incorporated. Proceed in the same matter until about half of the cream cheese mixture is incorporated. After that, you can start adding 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture at a time without any risks of getting a clumpy filling.

When all the cream cheese mixture is incorporated place the saucepan in the fridge and let the filling stand until it starts to thicken. It should only START to thicken and not become stiff already.

In the meantime beat the heavy or whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Check the cream cheese mixture after about 5 minutes or so and if it has started to thicken, carefully fold in the whipped cream. Taste the mixture and add more whiskey if you want a stronger whiskey taste. I did add about 3 tablespoons more.

Brew a strong coffee or espresso. Let cool and mix with vanilla extract, sugar, and whiskey.

Slice the cake into 3 slices (Note).

Place one slice of the cake on the serving platter. Soak it with about half the whiskey-coffee mixture. Use a bit less liquid for a less moist cake, it is a matter of taste, but we loved it really moist in this case. Spread half of the cream cheese filling on top.

Place the second slice of cake on top and soak it with the whiskey-coffee mixture. Spread the remaining filling on top and cover with the last cake slice.

Let set in the refrigerator for several hours, ideally overnight.

Beat the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract until stiff.

Place 2-3 tablespoons of the whipped cream in a piping bag.

Use the rest of the whipped cream to generously and smoothly cover the cake.

Mark the cake slices on the top of the cake, 12 to 16 slices, depending on how large you want them.

Pipe the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake and decorate with the chocolate coffee beans, if using them. Sprinkle the top of the cake with some instant cappuccino powder and the sides of the cake with dark chocolate shavings.

Place in the fridge until ready to serve.