This walnut cake is a lot like a string quartet. The way I hear it: the nuts play the bass line on cello; the eggs carry the tenor voice on viola; the sugar plays the alto register of the first violin; and, the lemon zest, the soprano register of the second violin. It's light, and the crispy layer which forms on top of the cake will remind you of those little Amaretto cookies you find in cafés...which are always wrapped in the loveliest paper.
Recipe copied, parola per parola, from Maxine Clark's cookbook, Viva Italia.
L'Ingrediente:
2 cups walnuts
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Confectioners' sugar, to decorate
Instruzioni:
Uno: Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with wax paper.
Due: Grind the walnuts in a food processor until they are finely ground.
* Processorless, I got to chopping; it didn't take long to get the job done.
Tre: Put the egg yolks and sugar into a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until they are pale and creamy. Fold in the ground walnuts and lemon zest. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff then carefully fold them into the nut mixture. Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Quattro: Bake the cake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees, Farenheit, for 45 minutes to 1 hour; until risen and firm. Let the cake coolin the tin; it will shrink away from the edges. When the cake is cold, remove it from the pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.
