Orange Torte - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Orange Curd
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (don't take the easy way out and use store-bought - it won't be the same)
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, plus
1 egg yolk, room temperature
Sponge Cake
4 egg yolks, room temperature
11 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (like Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
8 drops almond extract
5 egg whites, room temperature
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cream of tartar
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
For Assembly
6 tablespoons orange liqueur
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
3 tablespoons candied orange peel (optional)

Preparation

For orange curd: Mix juices with cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved.
Whisk in butter, sugar, eggs and yolk until smooth.
Place over low heat and stir until mixture is thickened to consistency of thin yoghurt, 15-20 minutes.
DO NOT LET BOIL.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and cool, then refrigerate overnight; if butter begins to separate, whisk to reblend.
For cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F.
Line bottom of 2, 9 inch round cake pans with parchment.
Combine yolks, 3 tblsps sugar, liqueur, hot water, vanilla, orange zest, cardamon and almond extract in large bowl and beat about 8 minutes.
Beat whites in a separate bowl, with clean beaters, adding a pinch of salt and another of cream of tartar, until soft peaks form.
Add remaining 8 tblsps sugar, one at a time, and beat until meringue is quite stiff and glossy.
Resift flours together.
Gently fold 1/4 of meringue mixture into yolks.
Scrape yolk mixture over remaining meringue with spatula, then sift 1/4 of flour over top and fold in.
Repeat until all flour is folded in, being careful not to deflate mixture or allow any lumps to remain.
Drizzle butter over and gently fold in using 3-4 strokes.
Pour into pans.
Bake until tops spring back when touched, 20-25 minutes, rotating cakes once.
Cool.
To assemble: Loosen cakes from pans and peel off paper.
Turn right side up.
Using long, serrated knife, halve cakes horizontally to make 4 layers.
Arrange 1 layer, cut side up, on platter.
Sprinkle with 1 tblsp liqueur; spread with 1/3 of curd.
Repeat 2 more times.
Top with last layer, flat side up.
Press gently to align.
Wrap cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Whip cream with 2 tblsps icing sugar and 2 tblsps liqueur to stiff peaks.
Reserve 2/3s cup cream.
Spread remaining cream smoothly over top and sides of cake.
Spoon reserved cream into pastry bag fitted with star tip and pipe decoratively around sides of cake.
Garnish with candied orange peel, if you wish and serve at room temperature.