Pine nut cake

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 Eggs, separated
¾ cup Plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1¼ cup Sifted cake flour
4 tablespoons Tepid melted butter
⅔ cup Sugar
3 Egg yolks
1 Stick butter, room
Temperature
2 tablespoons Sherry (medium-sweet)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1½ cup Toasted pine nuts
½ cup Warm strained apricot
Preserves
2 cups Heavy cream whipped with 2
TB sugar

Directions

TASTE #TS4731

BUTTERCREAM

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan, 2 inches deep. In a large mixing bowl lightly beat egg yolks and gradually beat in ¾ cup sugar. Add vanilla and continue to beat 2 minutes more, or until mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted.

In a separate bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Scoop one-quarter of whites onto yolk mixture, sift one-quarter of flour over and delicately fold together until partially blended. Add one-third of remaining whites, sift one-third of remaining flour over and delicately fold together until partially blended. Add half of remaining whites, sift half of remaining flour over, add half of melted butter and delicately fold until partially blended. Add remaining butter and delicately fold until egg whites are no longer visible, but do not loose their volume.

Turn batter into prepared pan and smooth top, tilting pan. Bake in center of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned, puffed and edges are beginning to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven and let cake stand in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge, invert pan to remove cake and reverse again onto a cake rack, puffed side up. Cool for 2 hours.

Make buttercream: In small saucepan heat sugar with ½ cup water, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Place a candy thermometer in sugar syrup and continue to cook, without stirring, until it registers 236 degrees F. Wash down any sugar crystals which form on sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Meanwhile, in top of a double boiler or in a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly pour in sugar syrup in a thin stream, continuing to beat until smooth. Remove from heat and continue beating until completely cooled. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla and sherry. Cover tightly and chill until firm but still of spreading consistency.

To assemble, slice cake in half horizontally. Sprinkle cut sides of both halves with remaining sherry. Spread buttercream on bottom half, sprinkle with ¼ cup of pine nuts, and replace top cake half. Brush outer rim of cake with warm apricot preserves and gently press on pine nuts. Let cake sit for 1 hour. Up to 1 hour before serving, decorate top of cake with whipped cream and sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.

Nutritional information per serving: xx calories, xx gm protein, xxx mg cholesterol, xx gm carbohydrate, xxx mg sodium, x gm fiber, xx gm fat (x gm sat, x gm mono, x gm poly), x mg iron, xx mg calcium, xx% of calories from fat.

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