Walnut Cake with Coffee Syrup: have your coffee and eat it too!!

...So, we celebrated Easter yesterday and decided to have a veeeery different party... Every year, my husband and I struggle getting our two daughters "picture-ready", dressing ourselves up, making it on time for a restaurant reservation and meeting friends... This year, we created the "Easter Brunch PijamaParty" ...No rush, no reservations, no dress-up and yeeess cocktails, good food, egg-hunt, fun and ....yummy cake!!
I picked this Walnut Cake with Coffee Syrup, a recipe from Louise Pickford's book "Brunch", as the special dessert for the occasion... I chose to unfollow that old rule "never cook a recipe for the first time when hosting a party" and went for it. The result was soooo fantastic that I've decided to share it with my virtual friends ...why? Because it is scrumptious, easy and fast to make...Perfect for busy mommies like you and I, who want to look like perfect chefs without killing ourselves in the process...
Here is the list of what you need to get:
For the cake:
6 eggs, separated
2 1/2 cups walnut halves, finely ground in a food processor
3/4 cup day-old bread crumbs (italian bread was perfect, left uncovered overnight)
9-inch springform pan, greased and lined with a round of greased parchment
whipped cream, to serve
For coffee syrup:
1 1/4 cups strong black coffee
1/2 cup sugar
3 star anise

Now get it done:
Put the egg yolks into a large bowl, add 2/3 cup of the sugar and wisk until pale.Stir in the ground walnuts and bread crumbs. (The mixture will be very stiff at this stage)
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, gradually whisk in the remaining sugar. Stir a large spoonful into the cake mixture, then fold in the rest until evenly mixed. Spoon into the prepared cake pan and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until risen and springy to the touch.
Meanwhile, put the coffee, sugar and star anise in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then boil for 5-6 minutes until sirupy, not too thick. Cool slightly.
Using a wooden toothpick, spike the cake all over the surface and drizzle with half the syrup. Set aside to cool. Serve the cake still warm with whipped cream and the remaining coffee syrup spooned around it in a pool.
That's it!! A great cake for any occasion, soft, moist, delicious!!... Sorry, got to go and get a piece...Mmmmm!! Hope you make it and enjoy it as much as I am.