This cake is almost like marzipan in texture - soft and very moist. It may be used as a Passover dessert, too - just substitute margarine for butter.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 Pink Lady or Gala apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 13/4pounds)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Cake:

• 3 cups ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 11/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Butter a 10-inch spring form cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add apples and toss with 1/3 cup sugar. Cook gently, stirring until apples are coated with butter and softened, and juices are syrupy, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine almonds and ground ginger. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks, and 11/4 cups sugar (reserving remainder), with an electric mixture.

Beat for 2 minutes or until very pale and thick, add in grated ginger. Stir in almond and ginger mixture and half of the apple mixture, including juices. Beat egg whites until stiff, slowly adding the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until thick and glossy (like shaving cream). Fold into the almond mixture.

Scrape batter into a prepared pan, decorate top with remaining apples and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, covering the top with parchment paper after about 50 minutes to keep the top from getting too brown. A cake tester inserted into the centre should come out clean. Serves 8 to 10.