Method

Preheat the oven to 150°F/180°C.  Line the pan with parchment paper cut to come  up about 1 inch above the top of the pan.

Use an electric mixer (or failing that, a strong wrist and a hand whisk) to whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture falls off the whisk in a thick ribbon rather than a thin stream.

Mix the nuts, salt and potato starch together, then fold gently into the egg mixture with a balloon whisk.  Add the melted butter and brandy and fold in with the whisk until there are no more streaks of butter evident in the batter.  Don't overwork the mixture.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a scraper or spatula.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.  A skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.  The top will billow out a bit towards the end, but will subside as it cools.

Remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool for about 5 minutes, then grip the paper lining on two opposing sides and lift the cake from the pan.  Put it on a wire rack, ease down the paper sides and leave to cool completely.

When completely cool, re-invert the cake onto a serving plate and carefully remove the paper.  If you plan to glaze the cake, do not re-invert it; the bottom is smoother and will give a better finish.

To glaze the cake, put the cream and chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is homogenous.  Let it cool slightly.

Slice into pieces, dipping a knife into hot water and drying quickly before  each cut to avoid damaging the glaze.

Reprinted with permission from Warm Bread and Honey Cake: Home Baking from Around the World, by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra , published by Interlink Publishing click for book review

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