Makes: 10 to 12 servings
Time: About 1½ hours
A not-too-sweet dessert for grown-up tastes. Ground dried fruit and nuts replace flour and keep the cake moist and gluten-free. The key is to not rush the whipping, since all the structure comes from the egg whites and yolks. You can make this with any fruit-nut combination—see the examples that follow—but if you’re not a fan of dried fruit, simply swap it out for 1 cup whole wheat flour.
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment (see About Springforms on page 223). Combine the cranberries and orange juice in a bowl and let soak. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and golden brown, about 10 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through to mix up the nuts. Set aside and let cool.
2. Drain the cranberries, reserving any excess juice. Place the nuts, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and the cranberries in a food processor and pulse until all are finely chopped. Place the mixture in a medium bowl and stir in the orange zest and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks with another ¼ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes; set aside. Wash and dry the beaters thoroughly. In another bowl, beat together the egg whites, salt, and reserved orange juice until foamy. Slowly add the last ¼ cup granulated sugar and beat until semistiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, then stir in the cranberry-walnut mixture until combined.
4. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 45 minutes to an hour. If the cake is getting too brown on top, tent it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing the ring and letting it finish cooling on a rack. To serve, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Store at room temperature, covered with wax paper, for up to few days; wrap tightly with plastic wrap and it will last a little longer.
RAISIN-PECAN TORTE Here’s what to do with that big box of raisins in your pantry: Substitute raisins for the cranberries and pecans for the walnuts. Swap out orange juice and zest for lemon juice and zest. Use nutmeg instead of cardamom.
APRICOT-ALMOND TORTE Substitute dried apricots for the cranberries and almonds for the walnuts. Swap out cardamom for nutmeg.
CHERRY-PISTACHIO TORTE Pistachios are a nutty contrast for sweet dried cherries: Substitute dried cherries for the cranberries and shelled pistachios for the walnuts. If you like, substitute cherry liqueur, like kirsch, for the orange juice.
WHOLE WHEAT THYME–PINE NUT TORTE A classic Italian torte, kicked up a notch with whole wheat and savory herbs: Omit the cranberries and substitute pine nuts for the walnuts. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme to the ground pine nut mixture. Omit the spices.