I read some version of this torte by an Englishwoman living in France. This is an effort to reconstitute the recipe .
Ingridients: 2 slices of dry rye bread of good quality 1/2 cup expresso or very strong coffee.. 1 1/2 cups of ground walnuts 10 T(135 
gm) softened unsalted butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 4 large eggs separated 1/2 cup flour unbleached 1 tsp. b.p. 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla. 4T granulated sugar for egg whites pinch of salt.Rum syrop 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup water boil until syrop 1/4 cup rum.
Procedure: Oven dry rye bread pour expresso over it allow to sit 20 mins cut off rind . Put bread in food processor grind briefly adding butter, egg yolks, nuts 1/2 cup flour flavourings includind salt. In separate clean bowl beat egg whites w/pinch of ssalt soft peak add 4 T. sugar until glistening do not overbeat. Fold egg whites in two batches to lighten cake and 2nd more carefully. Put additional walnuts around the cake and sprinkle them w/ a little sugar, they should stay on top. Bake in 8″ buttered spring form pan 400 F. oven 25 min. and reduce to 325 F. for another 35 aprox. Brush w/rum syrop while still hot and then a few hours later.
It occurs to me that a variation could be to remove the butter and make a sponge and perhaps increase syrop with or without bakeng powder
this sounds fascinating! and i’m not allergic to walnuts. {smile}