1001 Nights Cake Recipes

1,001 NIGHTS CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 8"x8" square glass baking dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until the color"lightens" slightly; add melted butter and mix well.
• Combine the flour and baking powder, then add to the egg mixture; mixing gently but thoroughly.
• Pour into the prepared dish and bake 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping by melting the butter in a small saucepan, then adding the sugar, honey, almonds and cinnamon.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened a bit (it doesn't need to reach a particular temperature).
• After the 12 minutes of baking, take cake out of the oven (it will look a lot like custard at this point) and gently pour the topping onto the cake.
• Return cake to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

FIGS FOR 1001 NIGHTS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or oven to the fiercest it will go.
• Quarter the figs, taking care not to cut all the way through to the bottom, so that they open like flowers, and sit them, in a heatproof dish into which they fit snugly.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the cinnamon, sugar and flower waters. Stir to combine and pour some into the figs, save a small amount for serving.
• Blister under the hot grill or bake in the oven for a few minutes and then serve; it's that quick. Just give each person a couple of figs on a side-plate.
• Splodge alongside some mascarpone over which you drizzle some of the conker-dark syrup, then sprinkle over some of pistachio. MMMM!

ENGLISH TWELFTH NIGHT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and lemon-colored.
• In a separate bowl beat the eggs. Add the eggs and brandy to the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the flour and spices and mix thoroughly. Add the raisins, almonds and good-luck bean. Mix thoroughly.
• Butter a 12-inch cake tin and line it with buttered wax paper. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for three hours. If the top browns too much during cooking, cover with foil.