Focaccia alla Portoghese/ Portuguese Cake
Sweet almonds, five ounces
Granulated sugar, five ounces
Potato meal, one and a half ounce
Three eggs
One big orange or two small, juice and zest

For frosting
Powdered sugar
Lemon juice
White of eggs

"First mix the yolks of the eggs with the sugar, then add the flour, then the almonds skinned and chopped fine, then the orange juice (through a colander) then a taste of orange peel. Finally add to the mixture the whites of the eggs well beaten. Put in a paper mold greased evenly with butter, with a thickness of about an inch and bake in a very moderately hot oven. After baked, over with a white glaze of frost, made with powdered sugar, lemon juice and the white of eggs."

This recipe was taken from "The Italian Cook Book: the Art of Eating Well, Practical Recipes of the Italian Cuisine" by Mrs. Maria Gentile. It was published in the U.S. in 1919. For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org. A variety of recipes from this cookbook can also be found on this website.... P.S. I tried this recipe and found it difficult to get right -- the cake did not rise in the oven as it was supposed to. The texture of the cake was mushy, nonetheless, its flavor was quite pleasant. Possibly, a more skilled baker than I am can make a really nice cake with this recipe. For anyone who is looking for a cake that does not include wheat flour, this recipe might be worth a try.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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