The Middle Eastern tone is part of this cake's appeal. A very nutty cake is suffused with a honey-citrus soaking syrup, much like baklava in concept but flour-free, making it suitable for Passover. A little goes a long way. For large Seder crowds, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch springform pan or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. I serve this cake cut into small squares or diamonds placed in small muffin liner cups. Copeland Marks, in his book _Sephardic Cooking,_ attributes this to Turkish cuisine. Joan Nathan calls it "Tishpishiti" in her book, _Jewish Cooking in America_ and points to Syrian, as well as Turkish roots as does Claudia Roden in her book, _Mediterranean Cookery_. A nutty classic indeed! My version is inspired by a recipe simply called "Nut Cake," found in _From My Grandmother's Kitchen_, by Viviane Alcheck Miner with Linda Krinn. If you are interested in Sephardic recipes along with a very engaging family history, this book is a real find.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, using a wire whisk, beat the granulated and brown sugars with the oil and eggs until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in the remaining batter ingredients. Turn the batter into the prepared pan.
03Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is light brown and set. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Soaking Syrup.
04In a medium saucepan, combine the ingredients. Heat to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes syrupy. Cool well.
05Pour the cooled syrup over the cooled cake, poking holes in the cake with a fork, to permit the syrup to penetrate. Allow it to stand for 2 to 4 hours to absorb the syrup. I prefer to refrigerate this cake so that while it is absorbing the liquid, it is also firming up. Also, chilling the cake offsets its sweetness and makes it easier to cut. Serve it on splayed muffin liners.