Nina’s Fabulous Athenian Nut Cake with Rum Syrup

Name: Nina’s Fabulous Athenian Nut Cake with Rum Syrup (Karythopitta)
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons dark rum, or to taste; 1 small lemon, halved; 1 cinnamon stick; ⅔ cup sugar; ½ cup water; 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts; Pinch salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 box (6 ounces) zwieback biscuits, finely crushed or ground; Fine, dry bread crumbs, for coating the pan; 3 tablespoons dark rum; 1 teaspoon almond extract; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; ¼ cup milk; 5 large eggs, separated; 1 cup sugar; ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Karythopitta

Preparation info

Makes one 9 inch single-layer cake; serves
9

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Classic Home Desserts

By Richard Sax

Published 1994

About

This is one of the many Greek desserts made with nuts and syrup. Originally from Athens, it is a family recipe from Nina (“Nine-a”) Karageorge, with whom I worked in a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard.

Ingredients

Fine, dry bread crumbs, for coating the pan
1 box (6 ounces) zwieback biscuits, finely crushed or ground

Europe
Greece
Athens
Cake
Dessert
Vegetarian
Mediterranean

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan; coat lightly with a layer of the bread crumbs, shaking out the excess. Set aside. In a bowl or on a