Saint Basil's Cake

From the "Cretan Cooking" Book - Page 184 

SAINT BASIL'S CAKE

* 1 kilo flour (2.2 lbs)
* 3 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 cups olive oil
* 1/2 cup cognac
* 8 to 10 eggs
* 2 cups orange juice
* 2 tbsps grated orange zest
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tbsp baking powder

Beat the yokes with the sugar and work in the oil and the orange rind. Dissolve the soda in the orange juice and add this. Beat the whites of the eggs; add half the flour, half the cognac with the baking powder diluted in it and half the egg whites. When this has amalgamated, work in the second half of the ingredients. Empty the mixture into an oiled baking tin and bake in a preheated moderate oven for about an hour.