Passover Cake

Adapted from: Martha Zimmerman
 
Serves: 8-12

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes 

Ingredients:

tube pan 

1 cup almond meal or 120 g (3/4 cup) raw almonds, finely ground

1.25 cups flour (or GF alternative)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

8 eggs, separate yolks from whites carefully

1.5 cups sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup sweet white wine

whipping cream

fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, blueberries)

Growing up, my family built traditions around the holidays. Easter, for us, was a Holy-day holiday. Yes, we had chocolate and Easter egg hunts but no Easter bunny. Our Easter season was celebrated with a mix from a Judeo-Christian perspective. Easter is still one of my favourite holidays and I think part of it is the traditions we built growing up, the liturgy, and the remembrance of its meaning for Christians. 

Martha Zimmerman published this recipe and my mum had a copy of it that she baked every year for Easter morning. I don't know the history of this cake or the origin, but I do know it is made without leavening (eggs only) which signifies how the Jewish people had to escape Egypt from Pharaoh without time to properly leaven their breads. For anyone interested in researching, Passover and Easter have such a beautiful interweaving of significance and symbolism. 

I digress. Not only is this cake so stunningly simple and delicious, but it holds, for me, the memories of Easter growing up. Save but a handful of years, I have had this cake every Easter. My mum knows how to make it best. Sometimes mine doesn't seem to rise quite right. But it's special because it's the only time I'll make/eat it each year. 

Treat this recipe with care and delight as you reflect on what it means to suffer, act in faith, and hold onto hope and joy. 

Please note: when baking with separated eggs, it is extremely important (especially in a non-leavened recipe like this) to keep every drop of egg yolk separate from the egg whites otherwise the whites will not whip up to their peaks and the cake will lose it's light and spongy texture. This is why it's okay for used white beaters to whisk yolk but not vice versa. 

Ingredients:

tube pan 

1 cup almond meal or 120 g (3/4 cup) raw almonds, finely ground

1.25 cups flour (or GF alternative)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

8 eggs, separate yolks from whites carefully

1.5 cups sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup sweet white wine

whipping cream

fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, blueberries)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 163 C / 325 F.

2. Mix almond meal, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Beat egg whites to soft (firm) peaks. Set aside.

4. With the same beaters (unwashed is fine), beat egg yolk until thickened.

5. Add sugar gradually to the yolk, beating well. Then beat in the orange juice and wine.

6. Stir in the yolk mix to the flour mix by hand.

7. With a spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter gently but thoroughly.

8. Pour the cake batter into a large, un-greased tube pan with removable bottom and bake until an inserted knife comes out clean (60 minutes).

9. Invert cake to cool thoroughly and then carefully remove the tube pan top.

10. Serve cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit.