Subject: Heavenly Cake (Torta del Cielo)
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Fri Apr 11 2003 - 10:52:59 EDT
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FOOD FUNNY
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Australian reader Lilliana Hajncl writes:
Here's another in the thread of "misteak" and "Steak-Um" food funnies.
Reading Sherry Carson's daughter's version of "You Are My Sunshine"
reminded me of a delightfully foodie mistake my son's friend made as a
5 year old.
The children were taught our Australian National Anthem and sang it at
each Monday morning school assembly. For those of you who don't know
the words, it starts like this: "Australians all, let us rejoice, for
we are young and free"
You might also not know that we have a large, flightless native bird
not dissimilar to the ostrich, called an emu, that appears on our
national crest. Well, Patrick was a bright and lovely boy, with a
strong interest in animals and birds, and by the age of four he had
memorized the common and Latin names of many of the world's feathered
fauna. He learned the anthem along with the rest, and was clearly a
loyal Australian, but his father was amazed to hear him singing loudly
in the bath, several weeks into his first term at school: "Australians
all eat ostriches, for they are young and free!"
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TODAY'S RECIPE
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Many versions of this cake are to be found in Mexico, and especially
the Yucatan peninsula where it is used to celebrate weddings,
birthdays, first communions, and just about every other special
occasion.
Heavenly Cake (Torta del Cielo)
10 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
8 oz (225 g) blanched almonds, ground to a fine
powder in an electric blender or food processor
1/2 cup (125 ml) cake flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
Powdered (confectioner's) sugar for garnish
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are thick and lemon colored
and form a ribbon when lifted from the bowl. In another bowl, beat
the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Sift the ground
almonds, flour, and baking powder into the yolk mixture and stir to
combine. Fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites just enough to
incorporate them - do not over mix. Line the bottom of a 10-inch (25
cm) springform pan with lightly greased wax paper or parchment - do
not grease the sides. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a
preheated 375F (190C) oven for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted
in the center comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack and allow to
cool completely. Remove from the pan, peel off the wax paper, and
invert onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar before
serving. Serves 8 to 12.
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