Karidopita - Greek nut cake with syrup

Ingredients:

For the pie:

• Chopped walnuts – 400 grams
• Ground nutmeg - 1 teaspoon
• Breadcrumbs or crushed biscuits – 180 grams
• Ground cloves – 1.5 teaspoons
• Baking powder – 20 grams (4 teaspoons)
• Butter – 200 grams
• Ground cinnamon - 2 teaspoons
• Sugar – 170 grams
• Eggs - 7 pieces (separate into whites / yolks)
• Cognac – 75 ml (1/3 cup)
• Zest of one orange

For the syrup:

• Water - 2 glasses
• Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• Orange juice - a tablespoon
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Cognac - 1/4 cup

Preparation:

1. Using a mixer, beat the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy (for 5 minutes). Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well.
2. Pour in the cognac and add the orange zest, stir and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add chopped walnuts, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and baking powder and stir with a spoon.
4. Combine the two mixtures and mix thoroughly, being careful not to chop the nuts too much.
5. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a separate bowl with an electric mixer. The mixture should form stiff peaks.
6. Add the meringue to the flour mixture with a spatula and mix in light circular movements from the bottom up.
7. Grease a 30 cm diameter pan and pour the dough into it. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for about 35 minutes. Let the Karidopita cool.
8. Prepare the syrup: Add the syrup ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves.
9. Before serving, pour hot syrup over a slice of Greek nut pie.