< PreviousM’HANNCHA (SNAKE CAKE) Crispy pastry, rolled around rosewater-scented frangipane and coiled around and around until it looks positively snake-like, m’hanncha is a fab thing to bake for sharing with a crowd – it’s great served with coffee at the end of a meal. It also keeps really well and you can just cut off a little (or a large) piece of the coil whenever you like. This traditional northern Moroccan dessert is usually made with warka (or brick) pastry but here I’ve made it with the infinitely easier to source filo. 160–180°C (325–350°F) MAKES 1 LARGE CAKE, SERVING 8–10 Put the butter into a free-standing food mixer (or use a roomy bowl and an electric whisk) and beat with the paddle attachment until softened. Add the icing sugar and beat very slowly until combined so it doesn’t shower you in sugar-dust, then turn the speed up and beat for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Add the ground almonds and eggs and beat once more until you have a smooth, creamy paste. Now add the rosewater – start with a tablespoon, beating well to mix, and increase until you are happy with the flavour. Finally, fold in all the apricots and most of the pistachios, reserving a few to garnish. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours so it’s firm. When you are ready to assemble the cake – and it can be done a few hours before baking – unroll the filo and place one sheet on a clear worktop. Cover the rest with a damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Brush the filo all over with a little butter, then fold in half to create a double thickness. Spoon a little of the filling in a line along the side closest to you, leaving a couple of centimetres (an inch or so) clear at either end. Shape the filling into a log about 2cm (¾in) in diameter. Fold over the bare ends of the filo, and roll it up so you have a neat cylinder. Then begin to coil this cylinder around on itself like a snail shell (or indeed a sleeping snake!); it may crack a little – this is the hardest section to coil, as the angles are tightest. Lift into the centre of the springform tin. Patch any cracks with little bits of filo, stuck on with melted butter. For the next part of the snake, which will be easier to coil, use two sheets of filo, again covering the rest of the pack to prevent it drying out. Lay one sheet on top of the other, buttering in between, to make a double sheet, and lay a long log of filling along the edge nearest to you, as before, folding and rolling it up into a tight cylinder. Lay one end of the cylinder butted up tight to where the first coil finished, and continue to coil it around to make your snake bigger. Once again, patch any cracks with extra filo and melted butter. Repeat this process until you have used all the filling. Brush all over with butter and set aside until you are ready to bake. Once you are ready to cook, slide the tin into the oven, shut the door and cook for about 45 minutes, until the m’hanncha is golden brown and crispy, checking and rotating the tin once or twice to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Cover the top loosely with foil if it’s getting too dark – if your oven is running a bit hot, it may colour too quickly. Leave to cool to room temperature, then run a table knife around the edge to release the springform. Scatter over the remaining pistachios and dust liberally with icing sugar before serving. To serve, break off little pieces of the coils, working from the outside in. 200g (1 cup) butter, diced 250g (2 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar, plus a little for dusting 400g (4 cups) ground almonds 2 eggs 1–3 tbsp rosewater, to taste 125g (1 cup) dried apricots, finely chopped 100g (¾ cup) pistachios, chopped 220–250g (8–9oz) pack of filo (phyllo) pastry 50g (¼ cup) melted butter, to brush You also need a deep 23cm (9in) round springform tin, lined on the base with baking paper and the base and sides well greased with butter. AND ANOTHER THING... • Swap the rosewater for orange flower water. • Swap the apricots for chopped dates or candied mixed peel. • Swap the pistachios for another chopped nut – walnuts or hazelnuts are great. 129BAKING: CAKES & PUDDINGSM’HANNCHA (SNAKE CAKE) Crispy pastry, rolled around rosewater-scented frangipane and coiled around and around until it looks positively snake-like, m’hanncha is a fab thing to bake for sharing with a crowd – it’s great served with coffee at the end of a meal. It also keeps really well and you can just cut off a little (or a large) piece of the coil whenever you like. This traditional northern Moroccan dessert is usually made with warka (or brick) pastry but here I’ve made it with the infinitely easier to source filo. 160–180°C (325–350°F) MAKES 1 LARGE CAKE, SERVING 8–10 Put the butter into a free-standing food mixer (or use a roomy bowl and an electric whisk) and beat with the paddle attachment until softened. Add the icing sugar and beat very slowly until combined so it doesn’t shower you in sugar-dust, then turn the speed up and beat for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Add the ground almonds and eggs and beat once more until you have a smooth, creamy paste. Now add the rosewater – start with a tablespoon, beating well to mix, and increase until you are happy with the flavour. Finally, fold in all the apricots and most of the pistachios, reserving a few to garnish. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours so it’s firm. When you are ready to assemble the cake – and it can be done a few hours before baking – unroll the filo and place one sheet on a clear worktop. Cover the rest with a damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Brush the filo all over with a little butter, then fold in half to create a double thickness. Spoon a little of the filling in a line along the side closest to you, leaving a couple of centimetres (an inch or so) clear at either end. Shape the filling into a log about 2cm (¾in) in diameter. Fold over the bare ends of the filo, and roll it up so you have a neat cylinder. Then begin to coil this cylinder around on itself like a snail shell (or indeed a sleeping snake!); it may crack a little – this is the hardest section to coil, as the angles are tightest. Lift into the centre of the springform tin. Patch any cracks with little bits of filo, stuck on with melted butter. For the next part of the snake, which will be easier to coil, use two sheets of filo, again covering the rest of the pack to prevent it drying out. Lay one sheet on top of the other, buttering in between, to make a double sheet, and lay a long log of filling along the edge nearest to you, as before, folding and rolling it up into a tight cylinder. Lay one end of the cylinder butted up tight to where the first coil finished, and continue to coil it around to make your snake bigger. Once again, patch any cracks with extra filo and melted butter. Repeat this process until you have used all the filling. Brush all over with butter and set aside until you are ready to bake. Once you are ready to cook, slide the tin into the oven, shut the door and cook for about 45 minutes, until the m’hanncha is golden brown and crispy, checking and rotating the tin once or twice to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Cover the top loosely with foil if it’s getting too dark – if your oven is running a bit hot, it may colour too quickly. Leave to cool to room temperature, then run a table knife around the edge to release the springform. Scatter over the remaining pistachios and dust liberally with icing sugar before serving. To serve, break off little pieces of the coils, working from the outside in. 200g (1 cup) butter, diced 250g (2 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar, plus a little for dusting 400g (4 cups) ground almonds 2 eggs 1–3 tbsp rosewater, to taste 125g (1 cup) dried apricots, finely chopped 100g (¾ cup) pistachios, chopped 220–250g (8–9oz) pack of filo (phyllo) pastry 50g (¼ cup) melted butter, to brush You also need a deep 23cm (9in) round springform tin, lined on the base with baking paper and the base and sides well greased with butter. AND ANOTHER THING... • Swap the rosewater for orange flower water. • Swap the apricots for chopped dates or candied mixed peel. • Swap the pistachios for another chopped nut – walnuts or hazelnuts are great. 129BAKING: CAKES & PUDDINGSNext >