Tortada, an Italian almond cake with meringue topping

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 250 g of ground almonds
• 170 grams of sugar
• 15 grams of cornstarch
• the zest of a lemon
• 500 g of water (2 cups)
• 170 grams of sugar
• 2 lemon zests
• 3 tablespoons of brandy, rum, or mistela
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 egg whites
• 150 to 200 grams of sugar
• 🍒 Candied fruits for decoration

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then add half of the sugar and the lemon zest.

Separate the yellow batter from the other half of the sugar, and mix them together.

Add the Maizena to the ground almonds in a bowl.

Combine the yolks with the whites, incorporating the almond flour and maize starch.

Pour éviter that the dough sticks to the pan during baking, pour the dough into a greased and parchment-lined baking dish.

Preheat the oven to the maximum temperature, and then, when you put the cake in, reduce it to 180 °C. Bake for 45 minutes without opening the door, until the cake is golden brown.

While you’re doing that, prepare the syrup by heating the sugar and water with the lemon zest, cinnamon, and alcohol. Once the cake is baked and the syrup is warm, drizzle the cake slowly with a ladle or spoon.

Next, flip the cake over, spread the Italian meringue on top, and smooth it out with a long knife. Then, decorate as you like. Finish with the 🍒 candied cherries.