Craig’s Macadamia Cake

-FOR THE CAKE-
1 1/4 c Macadamia nuts
1/4 c Cake flour
6 Egg yolks
3/4 c Sugar
3 dr Vanilla
1 ts Kirsch
7 Egg whites
1/8 ts Salt
1/2 ts Cream of tartar

For the CAKE: Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Toast the
nuts in a preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they
smell nutty. Cool. Grate the nuts fine with a hand nut grater and
stir in the flour, or grind them fine with the flour in a food
processor. Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar, the vanilla, and
the kirsch to a 3-second ribbon. Warm the egg whites over hot water
or swirl them over a gas flame until barely warm, then beat them with
the salt and the cream of tartar to soft peaks again. Spread the yolk
mixture over the whites and sprinkle with a quarter of the nuts.
Fold until partially mixed, sprinkle with another quarter of the
nuts, and fold. Repeat until all the nuts have been folded in. Be
careful not to overwork the batter and deflate the eggs. Pour into
the prepared pan and bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 30 to 40
minutes, or until the sides of the cake just begin to pull away from
the sides of the pan. Cool. For the FILLING: Toast the nuts in a
preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they smell nutty.
Cool and chop coarse. Shake the nuts in a coarse strainer to remove
any dusty particles. Put the sugar in a small non-corroding saucepan,
add the water, and cook over medium heat until light gold. Remove
from the heat and carefully add the corn syrup, butter, and cream.
Stir over low heat until the caramel has dissolved, then stir the
caramel into the nuts to bind them. Slice the cake into two layers
and spread the warm filling between them. For the ICING: Toast the
coconut in a preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often
until pale golden brown. Cool. Whip the cream with the sugar and
vanilla until it holds soft peaks and is just stiff enough to spread
on the cake. Ice the cake with the cream and press the coconut all
over the surface of the cake.

Yields
12 Servings