Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

¨ 3 tablespoons clarified butter
¨ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¨ 4 large eggs
¨ 1/2 cup sugar
¨ 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
¨ 1/2 cup minus l tablespoon cornstarch, lightly spooned
¨ (To make clarified butter take 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and put into a
heavy saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, partially covering to
prevent splattering. When the butter looks clear, cook uncovered,
watching carefully until the solids drop and begin to brown. Pour
immediately through a fine strainer or a strainer lined with cheesecloth.)
¨ SYRUP: Makes 3/4 cup syrup
¨ 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
¨ 1/2 liquid cup water
¨ 2 tablespoons liqueur of your choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, line bottom of 9 inch cake or spring form pan
with parchment, and then grease again and flour. Warm the clarified butter until
almost hot (110 degrees F). Add vanilla and keep warm. In a large mixing bowl set
over a pan of simmering water heat the eggs and sugar until just lukewarm, stirring
constantly to prevent curdling. Transfer mixture to bowl of electric mixer and using
the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for five minutes or until triple in
volume. While the eggs are beating, sift together the flour and cornstarch. Remove l
scant cup of the egg mixture and thoroughly whisk it into the clarified butter. Sift 1/2
the flour mixture over the remaining egg mixture and fold it in gently but rapidly
with a large balloon whisk, or rubber spatula until all the flour has disappeared.
Repeat with the remaining flour mixture until the flour has disappeared completely.
Fold in the butter mixture until just incorporated. Pour immediately into the
prepared pan (it will be about 2/3 full) and bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the cake is
golden brown and starts to shrink from the sides of the pan. (No need for a cake
tester. Once the sides shrink the cake is done.) Avoid opening the oven door before
the minimum time or the cake could fall. Test toward the end of baking by opening
the door slightly and, if at a quick glance it does not appear done, close door at one
and check again in five minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a small spatula
and unmold at once onto a lightly greased rack. Reinvert to cool. Trim the bottom
and top crust when ready to complete the cake and sprinkle the syrup evenly on both
sides. In a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid bring the sugar and water to a
rolling boil, stirring constantly. Cover immediately, remove from the heat, and allow
cooling completely. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and stir in the liqueur. If the
syrup has slightly evaporated, add enough water to equal 3/4 cup. Store (without
syrup) two days at room temperature or two months frozen. After adding the syrup
the flavors ripen and the moisture is more evenly distributed one day later. The
completed cake can be refrigerated up to five days and frozen up to two months.
Syrup can be refrigerated for one month in an airtight container. This cake would be
great with either the Cream Frosting or Butter cream Frosting. Split the cake in half
horizontally and place on cake round. Brush cake with 3 Tablespoons of syrup then
a layer of frosting. Frost the top and sides with frosting. Put remaining frosting in a
pastry bag with a 4B tip and pipe rosettes around top of cake. Another idea is to
toast shaved almonds in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. When cool cover the sides
of the cake with the almonds.

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