1 1/2 c Cake flour; (not
-self-rising)
1 1/2 ts Double-acting baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1 1/2 Sticks; (3/4 cup) unsalted
-butter, softened
1 3/4 c Sugar
6 lg Eggs; separated
1 ts Vanilla
1/2 c Milk
1/2 c Sliced blanched almonds;
-ground fine in an electric
-coffee or
Spice grinder
ORANGE FILLING
1/2 c Sugar
3 tb Cornstarch
1 ts Freshly grated orange zest
1/2 ts Freshly grated lemon zest
3/4 c Fresh orange juice
2 tb Fresh lemon juice
2 lg Egg yolks
–REST–
1 1/2 pt Strawberries; reserving 11
-whole berries for garnish
-and the remaining ones
-chopped fine
1 c Well-chilled heavy cream
2 tb Confectioners’ sugar
Line the bottoms of 3 buttered 9- by 2-inch cake pans with rounds of wax
paper, butter the paper, and dust the pans with flour, knocking out the
excess. Into a bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the
salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and 3/4
cup of the sugar until mixture is light and fluffy, add the egg yolks, 1 at
a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla. Add the
flour mixture and the milk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour
mixture and beating well after each addition, and divide the batter among
the prepared pans, spreading and smoothing it.
In the cleaned bowl with cleaned beaters beat the egg whites with a pinch
of salt until they hold soft peaks, add the remaining 1 cup sugar, a little
at a time, and beat the meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in
the almonds gently but thoroughly. (Do not beat in the almonds.) Spread the
meringue over the batter, smoothing it, and bake the layers in the middle
of a preheated 350?F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes
out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack. Run a knife around
the edges, invert the layers onto rack, and discard the wax paper. The cake
layers may be made 1 day in advance and kept wrapped in plastic wrap.
Make the orange filling: In a heavy saucepan whisk together the sugar, the
cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. In a bowl whisk together the zests, the
juices, and the yolks and whisk the yolk mixture into the sugar mixture
until the mixture is combined well. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking,
boil it gently, whisking, for 2 minutes, and let it cool, whisking
occasionally.
Arrange one of the layers, meringue side up, on a serving plate, spread
half the orange filling on it, and spread half the chopped strawberries on
the filling. Arrange another layer, meringue side up, on the strawberries,
spread the remaining filling on it, and spread the remaining chopped
strawberries on the filling. Arrange the remaining layer, meringue side up,
on the strawberries. The cake may be assembled up to this point 6 hours in
advance and kept covered with plastic wrap and chilled.
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream until it holds soft peaks,
beat in the confectioners’ sugar, and beat the cream until it holds stiff
peaks. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a
circle of it decoratively around the top edge of the cake. Pipe another
circle of cream 1 inch inside the first circle, pipe a rosette in the
center, and pipe another circle of cream around the base of the cake.
Quarter lengthwise 10 of the reserved strawberries, arrange them
decoratively inside the concentric circles, and arrange the remaining
strawberry on the rosette.
Yields
1 Servings