Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolks one by one, beating between additions so they are well incorporated.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and cloves, if using.
4. Add the brandy, grated orange rind and walnuts to the butter mixture and mix well. This step should be done, by hand, otherwise if a blender is used it will pulverise the walnuts and the karidopita will lose its essence.
5. Whisk the egg whites until they become stiff, then, with a metal spoon, start folding them in, alternating with tablespoons of the flour, until they have all been incorporated.
6. Butter a flat oven dish and empty the thick mixture into it. Traditionally karidopitta is baked in a flat dish and cut into diamond or square shapes.
7. Cook in a preheated oven, gas no. 5/ 375 grades F/ 190 grades C for 40 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the lemon rind, the cloves and the brandy and boil gently for 8 minutes. Bear in mind that the syrup must be poured hot over the hot karidopitta in order to be well absorbed.
9. Strain it.
10. Take the pie out of the oven and cut the shapes you want but leave it in the container.
11. Pour the hot strained syrup slowly all over and let it stand for at least 20 minutes so that it can be absorbed.
12. Leave the karidopita in its container, placing the two cinnamon sticks diagonally, side by side, on the centre.