Moroccan Pound Cake Recipes

M'HANNCHA (SNAKE CAKE)

Steps:

• To Make the Orange-Almond Paste:
• Combine the almonds, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a food processor or blender and pulse to grind into a coarse meal. Add the butter and egg yolks and pulse until blended. Scrape the paste into a bowl, and stir in the orange-flower water, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Divide the paste into 12 balls, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Set the balls on a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll each one into a 3 1/2-inch-long log. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• To Assemble the Cake:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a large baking sheet. Dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Place a sheet of phyllo pastry on the sugared work surface, and fold it in thirds to form a 4- by 17-inch rectangle. Brush the sheet with melted butter. Add another folded phyllo sheet, brush with butter, and repeat, until you have four buttered sheets.
• Set four orange-almond paste logs in a row down one long end of the phyllo, and roll the pastry up over them into a cylinder. Fold over the ends and brush on some melted butter to seal the seams. Shape the cylinder into a small, tight coil and place on the baking sheet, seam side down.
• Repeat to prepare two more phyllo rolls. Add each to the end of the coil on the baking sheet, forming a large coil.
• Combine the egg yolks, water, and cinnamon. Brush the mixture over the top of the cake.
• To Bake:
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove the cake from the oven, and let cool on the baking sheet.
• To Serve:
• Stir together the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on the cake, and top with sliced almonds.

MOROCCAN ORANGE & CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Put the whole oranges in a pan, cover with water and boil, covered, for 1 hr until a knife easily pierces them. If the oranges won't stay under the water, place a small saucepan lid directly on top to keep them submerged. Remove the oranges from the water and cool, then quarter and remove any seeds and obvious pith where the stalk was. Blitz the oranges to a rough purée with a hand blender or in a food processor and put in a large bowl.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line the base and sides of a 21cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Beat the cardamom, xylitol and eggs into the orange purée, then mix the ground almonds with the polenta, flour and baking powder, and fold in until well blended. Scrape the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 mins.
• After 40 minutes, scatter over the almonds, quickly return to the oven and bake 20-25 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool. Serve sliced as a cake, or with Greek yogurt or cream as a dessert.

MOROCCAN ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease and flour a tube pan. If using fresh oranges, zest and juice them.
• With an electric mixer or by hand, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Gradually beat in the oil.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, and then the orange juice. Beat until smooth, and then mix in the zest and vanilla.
• Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 7 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
• Here's the orginal MOROCCAN MEASUREMENTS:.
• 4 eggs.
• 1 soup bowl of sugar.
• 1 tea glass of vegetable oil.
• 1 soup bowl of flour.
• 2 sachets of baking powder.
• pinch of salt.
• 1 tea glass of fresh orange juice.
• zest from 1 or 2 oranges.
• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar.

MOROCCAN POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cream margarine and sugar until light.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each.
• Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk, beating until smooth.
• Add vanilla, raisins and nuts. Pour 3/4 of batter into a 10-inch tube pan lined on bottom with waxed paper.
• Mix remaining batter with cocoa and cinnamon and spoon onto batter in pan. Run a knife through batter to marbleize.
• Bake at 350° about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Let stand in pan 5 minutes, then turn out on rack; peel off paper. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

MESKOUTA (MOROCCAN YOGURT CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a bundt pan or ring mold, greased with unsalted butter, and floured.
• Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff.
• In a separate large bowl beat together the yogurt, oil, sugar and egg yolks with the rosemary and lemon zest. Stir in the vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth.
• Fold in the egg whites carefully and incorporate evenly.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• When completely cool, sift the confectioners' sugar on top and serve.

MOROCCAN FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine dried fruits. Pour tea over the top. Cover and let stand in a cool place overnight to plump and absorb tea.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving a 1 1/2-inch overhang on long sides.
• Sift flour, ras el hanout, and salt into a large bowl; add brown sugar. Stir in fruit mixture (including any liquid) and egg until combined. Batter should be a dropping consistency (if you pick up a spoonful, it should drop off easily). If it is too thick, add a little milk. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Slice cake and serve, spread generously with butter, if desired. Cake can be stored, well wrapped in plastic, at room temperature up to 3 days; toast slices before serving, if desired.

PERSIAN POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a large tube pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper; spray parchment paper.
• Whisk all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a bowl.
• Combine sugar, cream cheese, and butter in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add rose water and vanilla extract. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture gradually on low speed until batter is smooth and no lumps remain.
• Pour batter into the prepared tube pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.