Lemon torte

Serves 10

• 1¼ cups egg whites
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. almond extract
• 1⅔ cups ground almonds (unblanched)
• Lemon Filling
• garnish:
• blanched almond halves

1. Beat the egg whites with 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar until they hold soft peaks. Sift together the second cup of sugar and the cornstarch, add it to the egg whites along with the almond extract, and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff.
2. Fold in the ground almonds.
3. Butter and flour two 10-inch cake pans and divide the beaten egg white mixture between them, spreading it as flat and smooth as possible. Bake the layers in a preheated oven at 275 degrees for 1½ hours. They should be pale gold in color and shrinking away from the sides of the pan.
4. Allow the layers to cool slightly in the pans, then carefully remove them and let them finish cooling on racks.
5. Spread a little more than half the lemon filling on one layer and place the second layer on top of it. Spread the remaining filling over the top and sides of the top layer, leaving the sides of the bottom layer exposed. Decorate the torte very simply with a few blanched almond halves or just swirl the lemon topping evenly with a butter knife and leave it plain. Chill the torte for at least an hour.