Orange Date Walnut Passover Cake Food

ORANGE-DATE-WALNUT PASSOVER CAKE

Steps:

• Make a sugar syrup by stirring 1 1/2 cups of sugar into 1 1/2 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes, or until syrup is reduced to 1/3 of its original volume. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch cake pan.
• Coarsely grate rind of oranges. Then juice oranges, reserving juice and peel, and discarding any pith that remains. Combine reserved juice with enough prepared orange juice to make 2 cups.
• In a bowl, beat eggs with remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add orange juice and oil, and continue mixing. Stir in salt, matzo meal, walnuts, dates and orange peel. Turn into greased pan and bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Cut into 2-inch diamonds in pan.
• Stir liqueur into sugar syrup and pour over hot cake. Let sit a few hours before serving.

FLOURLESS WALNUT-DATE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch-round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Put the walnuts, cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until finely ground but not powdery. Whisk the egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla, if using, in a small bowl.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in the yolk mixture and dates, then fold in the ground walnut mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack, then run a knife along the sides and invert the cake onto a platter.
• Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, margarine and honey in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the margarine melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour over the cake. Top with walnuts.

WALNUT-DATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously grease a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan with softened butter or vegetable oil and dust with some matzo meal, knocking out excess.
• Pour hot water over dates in a large bowl and let stand 15 minutes to soften.
• Pulse walnuts in a food processor until chopped, then add 1/4 cup sugar and pulse until nuts are finely ground. Add matzo meal (2/3 cup), zest, cardamom, and salt and pulse until combined.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a slow stream, beating until whites hold stiff glossy peaks.
• Whisk yolks into date mixture. Fold one third of yolk mixture into whites, then fold in remaining yolk mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold all of nut mixture into batter.
• Spoon batter into cake pan and bake until golden and springy to the touch and cake just begins to pull away from side of pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE-WALNUT CAKE WITH ORANGE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch square cake pan with oil. Line bottom with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Brush parchment with oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together matzo meal, ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and zest. Stir in oil, egg yolks, and orange juice.
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy, 1 minute. Increase speed to high; beat just until stiff (but not dry) peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir one-third of whites into batter, then fold in chopped chocolate. Gently fold in remaining whites (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan.
• Bake until cake is golden on top and springs back when lightly pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove cake using parchment and transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Serving: Place cake on a platter. Drizzle with melted chocolate; top with orange rounds and walnuts.

EASY PASSOVER CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the margarine or butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat in the yolks only. Sift in the cake meal, potato flour, and baking powder, and fold in carefully. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add a spoonful of the egg white to the cake batter and mix in thoroughly. Now fold in the rest of the eggs whites, taking care not to knock out any air. Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until risen and golden.
• After the cake has cooled, slice in half horizontally and spread the bottom half with jam. Replace the top half and sprinkle superfine sugar over the top.

PASSOVER ORANGE WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Set oven rack at middle of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until thick and pale, add sugar gradually, beating. Beat until very thick.
• Beat in orange juice, lemon juice and rind. Add matzo cake meal and potato starch gradually, beating. Beat until combined well. Fold in walnuts gently.
• In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks.
• Stir 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into the orange mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan (3 ½ inches deep) with a removable bottom. Bake about 55 to 60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
• Invert pan over the neck of a bottle, let it cool upside down.
• Run a knife around edge of pan; remove side of pan. Run a knife under bottom of torte to release it.
• Transfer carefully with two spatulas to a serving plate. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar.

ORANGE-DATE NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Toss dates with 1/4 cup flour; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in orange zest. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining flour; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in dates and nuts. , Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. , For glaze, combine orange juice and confectioners' sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool for 30 minutes. , Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Poke holes in cake top. Drizzle glaze over top and sides of cake; cool completely before serving.

ORANGE DATE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; combine 1 cup with dates and walnuts. Set both mixtures aside. , In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add orange zest. Add reserved flour and date mixtures. Stir in buttermilk just until blended. , Spoon into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 300° for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. , For syrup, in a small saucepan, heat orange juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let stand for 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes more before pouring syrup over cake.