NEW YEAR'S ORANGE AND BRANDY CAKE

New Year's Orange and Brandy Cake image

Provided by Aglaia Kremezi

Yield Makes one 10inch round cake

Number Of Ingredients 11

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4 large eggs, separated
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, or a combination of butter and margarine
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Whole blanched almonds

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light yellow and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter or butter and margarine and beat for 1 minute more. Beat in the orange juice and brandy.
Whisk together the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and the zests in another large bowl. Add to the yolk mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
In a large clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently to even the top. Decorate the top with almonds.
Bake the cake for about 1 hour, or until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack before removing from the pan and serving.