ORANGE, DATE AND NUT CAKE

Reprinted with permission from The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan, published by Alfred A. Knopf and available in bookstores. Winner of a James Beard Award and IACP award.

(Serves 10-12)

• 3 cups sugar
• 4 whole oranges
• 1/2 to 1 cup orange juice
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups dried bread crumbs
• 2 cups coarsely ground walnuts
• 1 cup tightly packed chopped dates
• 2 - 3 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec, or to taste

Make a sugar syrup by stirring 1 1/2 cups of the sugar into 1 1/2 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir until all the sugar is dissolve, and then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the syrup is reduced to one third of its original volume, about 40 minutes. While the syrup is simmering, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 X 13- inch baking pan. Zest the oranges, being careful to avoid the bitter white pith. Then juice the oranges. Add enough additional juice to what you have just squeezed to make two cups. Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat them well with the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar. Pour in both the orange juice and the oil and continue mixing. Stir in the salt, bread crumbs, walnuts, dates, and orange zest. Turn into the greased pan and bake in the oven until golden, about 45 minutes. With the cake still hot and in the pan, cut it into 2-inch diamond-shaped pieces. Stir the orange liqueur into the sugar syrup and pour it over the hot cake. Let the cake sit a few hours before serving.

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