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Thinking I have plenty of time before Passover, I agree to do a baking demo for Rebbetzin Devorah Kornfeld's women's group. Two funerals with their last minute turn around time leave me with 4 hours to make a few desserts before my presentation. I feel like it is erev yontif as I rush around the kitchen.

My strategy is to show recipes from a few cookbooks. One I select is the Lubavitch women's "Spice and Spirit" because everyone should own both the everyday and kosher for Passover versions. I also pick the book because there are no photos of finished products. Walking into the meeting, one of the women immediately states "My husband said not to make anything that doesn't have a photo!" Lack of photos and abbreviated directions are problematic. That said, I like to study a recipe  as we do Torah. There is what is written and then there is an oral tradition. What was assumed years ago cannot be assumed today; most of us have lost the teachers who can give over the oral tradition that would teach us how to make a recipe. Subtle techniques, the feel for why a particular recipe is a family tradition are difficult to channel from words on a page ~ especially without a photo. Luckily, we have the internet!

I decide a nut sponge cake is about as traditional of a Passover cake as one can make. The basic technique is the same for all sponge cakes. I open "Spice and Spirit" and see "Chocolate Nut Cake". Reviewing the other sponge cake recipes offered, I note the similarities and differences. Hands down, this cake is unique: it has an apple grated into it, less potato starch than some, and has cocoa. No longer able to eat walnuts, I switch to ground almonds - can't make anything I can't eat! I also know from sponge cakes past that adding a little fresh lemon juice when not using cream of tartar helps stabilize the whipped egg whites.

Removing the cake from the oven, I'm surprised at how high it sits in the tube pan. Quickly inverting the cake to cool, I'm even more amazed when Benoit removes it from the pan an hour later. It sits tall, doesn't sag and is beautiful. This recipe would have been posted 2 weeks ago had I remembered to take a photo!

If I were a food stylist and not a caterer in the midst of cooking for 1200 people (and this is a light year!), there would be whipped topping and strawberries with the slice of sponge cake. However, I don't much care for the petroleum based whipped topping and some folks don't eat strawberries ever or 'fruit that can't be peeled' during Passover. No, I wouldn't want to offend anyone by garnishing the plate. This photo is taken after our video shoot yesterday....stay tuned! Gordon is editing like a bat outta ..... I mean, like Jews outta Egypt!

Ingredients:

• 9 eggs, separated (make sure that no yolk is in the whites!)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided in half
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 apple, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 cup ground nuts

Steps:

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly start to add 3/4 cups of sugar, a tablespoon or so at a time. Beat until very stiff. They'll be shiny but not dry. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, cocoa, grated apple and potato starch. Beat thoroughly.

Add about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. FOLD in the egg whites. This will lighten the mixture. Add the remaining egg whites and FOLD into the mixture until no white streaks remain.

Gently put the batter into the tube pan. Run a thin paring knife through the cake batter to make sure that there are no air pockets.

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Comments:

Isabelle: If I may ask, what is "gebrokts"?

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Leah: Hi Isabelle, During Passover, Jews eat matzah instead of bread and avoid a TON of foods. Some, more strict, avoid eating anything with broken or ground matzah in it. This matzoh meal or matzoh farfel or matzoh cake meal is referred to as 'gebrokts'. One the 8th day of Passover, those who are strict eat 'gebrokts' as the 8th day is a bit more lenient.

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Fay: why does this recipe not have baking powder or baking soda? does it not come out dense?

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Leah: Hi Isabella - 'gebrokts' is anything considered a leavening agent - so, no matzoh meal is added. As I'm typing this, it is in size 18 font - hoping it doesn't post that way - I'm not yelling at you! Thanks for the question!

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Leah: Hi Fay - the cake is beaten egg whites. The lemon juice acts like cream of tartar and helps stabilize the whites. They still must be handled delicately to maintain the volume. Ingredients are folded in, not stirred and the cake must cool upside-down to prevent it from falling. Thanks for the question.

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