From my neighbor Ela Alamani who halves her mother’s original recipe that calls for 16 egg whites…
This is a delicious festive treat! Use the egg yolks to make Pots de Crème!
For a 10-inch round cake
8 egg whites (from medium-size eggs)
1 cup melted butter (or mixture of butter and olive oil)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more to sprinkle the cake
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (100 grams, 3 1/4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cup ground almonds or walnuts
Grated zest of one orange or lemon
Line a 10-inch pan with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the butter and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar until well mixed. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, almonds of walnuts and the zest. Beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture, until fully incorporated. The mixture will be quite runny.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, and carefully invert and peel away the parchment paper. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.
