1. Peel the outer skin of the lemons—you don't want any of the bitter white pith—and cut it into thin strips. Bring 2 cups of the water to a boil, add the strips of zest, and boil them for 2 minutes to remove any bitterness. Drain.
2. Stir 2 cups of sugar into the remaining 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the zest, lower the heat to medium, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the zest in a colander and then spread it in a single layer on a piece of wax or parchment paper to cool. Rinse and dry the colander. Toss the zest with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Put the sugared zest back in the colander and shake off the excess sugar. Store the candied zest in an airtight container.
Yield: 1 cup zest
Sponge Cake
9 large eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups sugar
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
grated zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 pints mixed raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and diced strawberries
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease a 10-inch bundt pan.
2. Beat the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until pale and thick, then pour in 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a slow and steady stream. Stir in the zest and the juice of the 2 lemons and the orange zest.
3. Sift together the flour and salt and fold it into the yolks.
4. Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir about a third of them into the yolks, and then quickly, yet gently, fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the bundt pan.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for few minutes, then turn it out onto a plate to cool completely.
6. An hour before serving, mix the berries with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the remaining tablespoon lemon juice.
7. Take a sharp knife and cut out a few inches from the center of the top of the cake. Fill the hole with the berries, reserving some to scatter around the sides of the cake. Garnish the cake with the candied zest (see above) and bring it to the table.
