1 1/2Tbspkirschmaraschino or other cherry-flavored liquor
6large eggs
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 480°F / 249°C / Gas Mark 9 1/2.
Add to your mixer bowl the zest and juice from 1/2 orange, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tbsp of cherry-flavored liquor and 200g / 1 cup of the sugar. Mix gently until homogeneous.
Separate the 6 eggs, adding the yolks directly into the mixer bowl. Retain the whites separately: 4 whites in one bowl, the remaining 2 in another. Mix the ingredients from step 2 with the yolks until it yields a uniform batter. Beat the bowl with 2 egg whites until you have somewhat stiff peaks.
Add half of the beaten egg whites and half of the almond meal to the batter. Fold in to incorporate and stir gently to homogeneity. Then add the remaining almond meal and egg whites, folding in and stirring gently as before.
Place a circle of parchment paper at the bottom of a 8 inch springform pan. Pour the resulting cake batter into the springform pan on top of the parchment paper.
Bake according to this schedule: 5 minutes at 392°F /200°C / Gas Mark 6 (drop the oven to this temperature immediately after placing cake inside), 15 minutes at 350°F / 176°C / Gas Mark 4; 15 minutes at 320°F / 160°C / Gas Mark 3.
Begin checking the cake approx 5 minutes after lowering the temperature to 320°F / 160°C / Gas Mark 3 (or approx 25 minutes after beginning to bake). When a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. If the center has swollen due to baking, press gently with the back of the wooden spoon to flatten the surface.
While the bottom cake is baking, place the remaining 4 egg whites, 400g / 2 cups sugar and the walnuts in a large pot. Turn up the burner to medium-high heat and stir aggressively for approx 15 minutes, making sure the bottom of the pot doesn’t scorch. Stop when the liquid takes on a beige/caramel color.
Add the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon and the remaining 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to the walnut-caramel mixture. Stir to spread uniformly throughout the mixture.
Pour the resulting walnut mixture over the bottom layer of the cake. Make the top even with the back of the wooden spoon.
Place the cake back in the oven (at 320°F / 160°C / Gas Mark 3) and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the top takes on a golden color.
Allow to cool for 90 minutes. Then gently remove from springform pan, peel off the parchment paper, and serve.
Notes
I halved the recipe posted and I used a muffin tin to make 6 'cupcakes'