One of the best things about travelling in Italy is eating cake for breakfast. This tasty orange cake recipe is from Michaela at the Podere san Quirico, an agriturismo near Siena.
| 2 c | whole blanched almonds (10 ounces) |
| 1½ c | sugar |
| ¾ c | flour |
| 2½ T | baking powder |
| ½ T | finely grated lemon zest |
| salt | |
| 3 lg | carrots (10 ounces), coarsely chopped |
| 4 lg | eggs, separated |
| icing sugar for dusting (optional) |
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Toast the almonds for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. When cool, grind almonds with the sugar to a fine powder in a food processor. Do not let the nuts turn into a paste.
Add carrots to a food processor and chop until very fine. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
Whisk flour with the baking powder, lemon zest and pinch of salt. Add ground almonds to the flour mixture. Add carrots and the egg yolks to the bowl and stir until blended.
In a large stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold into the flour mixture onethird at a time until the batter is just blended.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is just set. Let the cake cool in the pan, then unmold onto a serving plate. The cake can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Just before serving, sift icing sugar over the top if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6-8.
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