Cradle Cake

Winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1950, Mrs. Stephen A. Hornoung’s intriguing cake is truly magical. The egg yolks are used to make the batter and the egg whites to make a dacquoise (da-KWAHZ)—a meringue with a touch of bitter chocolate and nuts that cradles the cake batter as it bakes. When unmolded and inverted, the soft, tender cake is encased in its own crisp cloak.

I have substituted my best buttermilk cake for the original, but the dacquoise is unchanged. If desired, the add