Craig's Macadamia Cake Recipe

+ Directions : For the CAKE: Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Toast the nuts in a preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they smell nutty. Cool. Grate the nuts fine with a hand nut grater and stir in the flour, or grind them fine with the flour in a food processor. Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar, the vanilla, and the kirsch to a 3-second ribbon. Warm the egg whites over hot water or swirl them over a gas flame until barely warm, then beat them with the salt and the cream of tartar to soft peaks again. Spread the yolk mixture over the whites and sprinkle with a quarter of the nuts. Fold until partially mixed, sprinkle with another quarter of the nuts, and fold. Repeat until all the nuts have been folded in. Be careful not to overwork the batter and deflate the eggs. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sides of the cake just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool. For the FILLING: Toast the nuts in a preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they smell nutty. Cool and chop coarse. Shake the nuts in a coarse strainer to remove any dusty particles. Put the sugar in a small non-corroding saucepan, add the water, and cook over medium heat until light gold. Remove from the heat and carefully add the corn syrup, butter, and cream. Stir over low heat until the caramel has dissolved, then stir the caramel into the nuts to bind them. Slice the cake into two layers and spread the warm filling between them. For the ICING: Toast the coconut in a preheated 325 F oven for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often until pale golden brown. Cool. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks and is just stiff enough to spread on the cake. Ice the cake with the cream and press the coconut all over the surface of the cake. This cake is delicious served with kumquats poached in honey.