Pine Nut Cake

-BUTTERCREAM-
2/3 c Sugar
3 Egg yolks
1 Stick butter, room
Temperature
2 tb Sherry (medium-sweet)
1 ts Vanilla
1 1/2 c Toasted pine nuts
1/2 c Warm strained apricot
Preserves
2 c Heavy cream whipped with 2
TB sugar

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch
round cake pan, 2 inches deep. In a large mixing bowl lightly beat
egg yolks and gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar. Add vanilla and
continue to beat 2 minutes more, or until mixture is thick, pale
yellow and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted.

In a separate bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff
peaks form. Scoop one-quarter of whites onto yolk mixture, sift
one-quarter of flour over and delicately fold together until
partially blended. Add one-third of remaining whites, sift one-third
of remaining flour over and delicately fold together until partially
blended. Add half of remaining whites, sift half of remaining flour
over, add half of melted butter and delicately fold until partially
blended. Add remaining butter and delicately fold until egg whites
are no longer visible, but do not loose their volume.

Turn batter into prepared pan and smooth top, tilting pan. Bake in
center of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned, puffed
and edges are beginning to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from
oven and let cake stand in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife
around edge, invert pan to remove cake and reverse again onto a cake
rack, puffed side up. Cool for 2 hours.

Make buttercream: In small saucepan heat sugar with 1/2 cup water,
stirring, until sugar dissolves. Place a candy thermometer in sugar
syrup and continue to cook, without stirring, until it registers 236
degrees F. Wash down any sugar crystals which form on sides with a
pastry brush dipped in cold water. Meanwhile, in top of a double
boiler or in a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water,
beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly pour in
sugar syrup in a thin stream, continuing to beat until smooth. Remove
from heat and continue beating until completely cooled. Add butter, 1
tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in
vanilla and sherry. Cover tightly and chill until firm but still of
spreading consistency.

To assemble, slice cake in half horizontally. Sprinkle cut sides of
both halves with remaining sherry. Spread buttercream on bottom half,
sprinkle with 1/4 cup of pine nuts, and replace top cake half. Brush
outer rim of cake with warm apricot preserves and gently press on
pine nuts. Let cake sit for 1 hour. Up to 1 hour before serving,
decorate top of cake with whipped cream and sprinkle with remaining
pine nuts.

Nutritional information per serving: xx calories, xx gm protein, xxx
mg cholesterol, xx gm carbohydrate, xxx mg sodium, x gm fiber, xx gm
fat (x gm sat, x gm mono, x gm poly), x mg iron, xx mg calcium, xx%
of calories from fat.