Festive tourta with almonds and cream

A delicious syrupy Festive dessert based on the recipe of a Saint Basil's cake but with the addition of  oranges and a cream flavoured with lemon

Recipe of Myrssini Lambraki,
head cook, food writer and TV presenter on cooking programmes

Ingredients (for 10-15 people):

320gr. finely ground almonds
300gr. of icing sugar
7 eggs (separate the yolks from the whites)
2 oranges (boiled whole and then mashed into a pulp, skin on)
4 tbsp of semolina flour
2 tsp of baking powder
3 tbsp of butter

For the syrup:
2 tea-cups of water
2 tea-cups of sugar

For the cream:
5 tea-cups of milk
6 tbsp of cornflour (cornstarch)
8 tbsp of sugar
peel of a lemon
2 eggs, beaten
1 tea-cup of toast almond flakes, finely chopped to garnish
extra orange zest, to garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease with some butter and sprinkle a round oven pan of about 30cm with some flour.

In a metal bowl beat the egg whites well to become a fluffy meringue.

In another bowl beat the butter with the sugar until they blend well and get a pale colour. In this bowl add the pulped oranges, the semolina flour, the beaten egg yolks, the baking powder and the ground almonds. Beat the mixture until the ingredients blend well.

Using a wooden spatula gently fold the egg meringue into the cake mixture. Empty the cake mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.

While the cake is baking prepare the syrup putting the water with the sugar in a saucepan in medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to make sure that the sugar melts completely and simmer for a few minutes until the syrup is thick enough and resembles the consistency of the olive oil. Take off the heat and leave aside to cool completely.

Take the cake out of the oven and while it is still hot pour over with the cold syrup.

Dissolve the cornflour in 1 tea-cup of the milk. In a saucepan boil the rest of the milk on medium heat and add in the sugar and the lemon peel. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is melted and then add in the dissolved cornflour. Gently stir the cream with the wooden spoon until thickens.

Take off the heat, discard the lemon peel and leave the cream to cool for about 8-10 minutes. Then add the beaten eggs in the cream while beating at the same time with the wooden spoon until the ingredients blend. Make sure you beat vigorously because you don't want the eggs to curdle....

Carefully empty the cream on the top of the cake and evenly spread with a spatula. Sprinkle on top with the almond flakes and the orange zest and leave the torte to settle for a while before you serve.