Karithopita - Olympic Walnut Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, plus
9 walnut halves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 orange, zest of, grated
6 tablespoons fine semolina
2 teaspoons baking powder
For the syrup
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 fresh lemon rind, cut into strips
1 cinnamon stick

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325\u00b0F Grease an 8- or 9-inch round pan.
Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow.
Stir in orange juice, brandy and vanilla.
Combine semolina and baking powder and fold into egg yolks.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
Fold in walnuts, nutmeg and orange zest.
Fold 1/2 of whites into yolk mixture, then fold in remaining whites.
Spread in pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool on rack.
While cake is baking, combine water, sugar, lemon rind and cinnamon in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook until sugar is melted.
Set aside to cool slightly.
Pour hot syrup on cake, place 8 walnut halves around the top outside edge and 1 in the center and serve.