Passover starts on April 5, this year. The holiday is marked with feasts and desserts, including this sponge cake, from the "Little Book of Jewish Sweets," by Leah Koenig.
Ingredients:
7 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 Tsp freshly grated orange zest
2 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 Tsp vanilla extract
¾ Cup potato starch
¼ Tsp kosher salt
1 ½ Tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325. Separate 6 eggs, setting aside the egg whites. Crack the remaining egg into the yolks. Beat on medium speed until pale yellow and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Gradually beat in 1 ¼ cup of the sugar, followed by the orange zest, orange juice and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the potato starch, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until glossy peaks form, 3-5 minutes. Gently fold into the egg yolk batter until fully combined. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar and sprinkle on top of batter. Bake 50-60 minutes until batter springs back when gently pressed. Do not open oven earlier as cake could deflate. Remove from oven, invert cake onto cooling rack, using a sharp, serrated edge knife to loosen cake from pan, cutting around outer and inner perimeters of the tube pan. Slice and serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated, and covered, for up to one week.
