Passover Honey Nut Cake in Soaking Syrup
Source of Recipe
Marla
Recipe Introduction
A Middle Eastern tone is a definite part of this cake's appeal. A very nutty cake
is suffused with a honey-citrus soaking syrup, much like baklava in its concept
but flour-free, making it suitable for Passover. This is a rich, sweet cake and
a small one, as this one is, goes a long way. For large seder crowds, you can double
the recipe and bake it in a 9 inch springform pan or 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan.
I serve this cake cut in small squares or diamonds and put this in a small muffin
liner cup which works very well as a confectionary cup. Copeland Marks, in his book
Sephardic Cooking (Donald I. Fine Inc. New York, l992) attributes this to Turkish
cuisine. Joan Nathan calls this "Tishpi****i" in her book, Jewish Cooking
In America (Knopf, New York l994) and points to Syrian, as well as Turkish roots.
Paula Wolfert, has yet another version in one of her cookbooks, but with flour.
A nutty classic indeed! The distinguishing, unchanging elements are: nuts, sugar,
eggs, oil, and a honey/sugar syrup that is poured over the baked cake. My version
is inspired by a recipe simply called "Nut Cake", from From My Grandmother's
Kitchen, (Viviane Alcheck Miner with Linda Krinn, Triad Publishing Company, Gainesville,
Florida l984). If you are interested in Sephardic recipes along with a very engaging
family history, this book is a real find.
List of Ingredients
Passover Honey Nut Cake in Soaking Syrup
CAKE
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon for a more pronounced cinnamon flavor)
1/2 cup matzoth cake meal
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
SOAKING SYRUP
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease a 7 inch round layer cake pan (if you
do not have one, you can use a round, foil pan of the same or similar size available
in the supermarket bake aisle)
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, using a wire whisk, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs.
Beat very well until mixture is thick and a pale yellow. Stir in orange juice, zest,
salt, cinnamon, cake meal, and nuts. Turn batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is light brown and set. (Cool at least twenty
minute before adding syrup). Meanwhile prepare Soaking Syrup.
Soaking Syrup: In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, honey, orange juice, water,
lemon juice, and cinnamon. Heat to dissolve sugar and simmer 5-10 minutes until
mixture becomes syrupy. Cool well.
Pour syrup over cooled cake, poking holes in cake with a fork, to permit syrup to
penetrate cake. Allow to stand 2-4 hours to absorb syrup. I prefer to refrigerate
this cake so that while it is absorbing liquid, it is also firming up. Also, the
chilled cake offsets its innate sweetness and makes it easier to cut. Serve it on
muffin liners, splayed out as pastry or confectionary cups.
Serves 10-12
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