Passover Cake

This cake is a family favorite at Passover with a flavor similar to baklava. Recipe adapted from Cookin Light Passover Baklava Cake.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 8-12
• Yields: 1 Cake

Ingredients

• Cake

•  cooking spray
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 cup  packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 3  large  egg whites
• 2  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup  matzo cake meal
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped walnuts
• 1⁄4 cup  finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3  tablespoons  fresh orange juice

• Syrup

• 2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1⁄3 cup  orange juice
• 3  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄2 lemon peel, in strips
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat 9 inch round pan with cooking spray.
3. Place 3/4 cup sugar and next 4 cake ingredients (throug eggs) in large bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Mix matzo cake meal and remaining cake dry ingredients together (through cloves).  Stir into sugar-egg mixture.  Add 3 tablespoons orange juice and beat until well blended. .
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake  35-40 minutes.  Do not overlook cake so check for done ness at 35 minutes.  When done cake may still be somewhat soft in the center but will firm when refrigerated.
6. Cool cake completely before adding syrup. You may want to refrigerate for a couple of hours before adding syrup.
7. To make syrup, combine all syrup ingredients in heavy saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove lemon peel from syrup and let syrup cool slightly. Poke holes in cooled cake with fork or small skewer. Pour slightly cooled syrup over cake, then cover cake and chill.
9. Notes: Amount of cinnamon and cloves may be reduced, but my family likes the higher amount in the recipe. Peel wide strips from lemon using vegetable peeler before juicing the lemon. 1 medium lemon yields about 1 tablespoon of juice.  Do not make syrup until cake has cooled; otherwise syrup is too thick to pour easily.