Passoverbaklavacake Recipes

SEVEN LAYER CAKE FOR PASSOVER

Steps:

• To make the sponge:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by greasing them and lining with parchment.
• Sift the matzo cake meal, potato starch and salt together, set aside. In a mixer whip the eggs and sugar, for about 8 minutes.
• The eggs should be very light in color and a thick foam. At the very end, add the vanilla and zest.
• Sift the dry ingredients over the egg foam.
• Very gently, but thoroughly, fold the dry ingredients into the egg foam.
• Pour the batter into one of the prepared pans and spread evenly with a spatula.
• Bake the cake for about 18 minutes or until golden and dry when poked with a cake tester. Repeat with the second cake layer.
• To make the buttercream:
• In a small pot, fitted with a candy thermometer, heat 2 cups sugar, water and cream of tartar to 242 degrees F. This will take several minutes, so get your eggs started.
• Whisk together the eggs, yolks and 1/3 cup sugar. Beat the eggs on medium high speed until light in color and thick.
• Once the sugar has reached 242 degrees F, add it very carefully and slowly to the eggs, while the beater is going on slow speed. Be sure to pour the syrup along the edge of the bowl, not directly onto the beater or it will splatter. Continue beating the egg mixture on medium-high speed until the eggs have cooled, about 8 minutes.
• Once the eggs are cooled, add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture will go through a stage when it looks soupy and curdled, but keep adding the butter and it will come together. After all the butter is added, mix in the vanilla.
• The buttercream will be smooth and glossy.
• Divide 1/3 of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add the poppy seed paste.
• To the remaining buttercream, add the melted chocolate.
• If you are not going to use the buttercream right away, cover it and leave it at room temperature for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to use it, give it a good stirring or put it back in the mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.
• To make the soaking syrup:
• In a small saucepan heat the sugar, water and zest over medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.
• Cut each sheet of cake into 4 equal pieces (they will be about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long).
• Lay the first layer of cake on the serving platter and brush with the soaking syrup. You want to dab the syrup on, but don't overly saturate the cake or it will be soggy.
• Spread a thin layer of the poppy seed buttercream over the soaked layer.
• Repeat with 5 more layers and then finish with the 7th layer of cake. This will leave you with one extra. Since my cake is not traditional anyway, you should feel free to use up that last layer. If you want to keep it to seven layers, then I suggest you use that lonely extra layer as a snack.
• If your layers need squaring up, just trim them with a sharp serrated bread knife.
• Stir the chocolate buttercream to make sure it is smooth and cover the entire cake in a nice even layer.
• It is okay if it isn't perfectly smooth, because we're going to add some rough stripes to the outside.
• Take a small blob of buttercream on the end of your spatula,
• and starting at the end of the cake, on the bottom, spread that blob in a stripe along the cake. Repeat over and over again, but alternate which side you start on. Repeat this on the top as well.
• You will end up with rough stripes all over the cake, which gives the cake some texture.
• Using a sharp chef's knife, scrape the smooth side of a bar of chocolate with the blade, so that the chocolate curls up. If the chocolate is very cold and brittle, try sitting it in the sun for a few minutes and the curls will come more easily. Cover the top with the chocolate shavings.

PASSOVER BROWNIE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar together. Add the oil. Mix in the cake meal and the cocoa.
• Add nuts, or use the nuts as a topping. I put nuts on top rather than in this cake for two reasons. They make the top look good without having to frost it. Also, for those who don 1t or can 1t eat nuts, they are easily removed without having to search for them.
• Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for about 35 minutes. The secret to a moist brownie cake, Pesach or otherwise, is to underbake it. Check it at about 30 minutes.

EASY PASSOVER CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the margarine or butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat in the yolks only. Sift in the cake meal, potato flour, and baking powder, and fold in carefully. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add a spoonful of the egg white to the cake batter and mix in thoroughly. Now fold in the rest of the eggs whites, taking care not to knock out any air. Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until risen and golden.
• After the cake has cooled, slice in half horizontally and spread the bottom half with jam. Replace the top half and sprinkle superfine sugar over the top.

PASSOVER SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with margarine. Dust pan with matzo meal; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks on medium-high speed with 1/4 cup sugar until thickened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.
• Place egg whites and salt in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. With machine running, slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Fold egg whites and orange zest into yolk mixture. Sift potato starch over the mixture, and fold in.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes.

PASSOVER BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Take the matzah out of the water and cover with paper towels for 15-20 minutes or till soft enough to fold.
• Combine the first 4 ingredients with 3 tablespoons of the butter.
• Using an 8" square pan, make layers of matzah and nut mixture ending with a piece of matzah.
• Drizzle top of matzah with 2 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter.
• Bake@ 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
• When almost cool, cut into squares.
• FOR THE SYRUP: Combine all ingredients and the remaining butter (2 1/2 tablespoons) and boil for 10 minutes stirring slowly till thickened.
• When syrup is cool, drizzle over cut squares.

PASSOVER BAKLAVA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F; spray a round cake pan with cooking spray.
• Add sugars, oil, eggs and egg whites to a large mixing bowl.
• Beat at medium until blended.
• Stir in matzoh cake meal and next 5 ingredients and beat until well blended.
• Pour into cake pan and bake for 35 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Combine syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Lower to simmer and cook 25 minutes until thick.
• Cool completely.
• Pierce top of cake with a fork, pour syrup on top.
• Cover and chill overnight.

BAKLAVA CAKE

Steps:

• Tip the flour, baking powder, semolina and cinnamon into a large bowl. Put the nuts in a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped.
• Beat the egg whites using an electric whisk or stand mixer on a high speed until stiff and slowly add half of the sugar. Reduce the speed to medium and beat for about 5 mins until the meringue is nice and firm, then set aside. Beat the egg yolks on a high speed, gradually adding the remaining 50g of sugar. When all the sugar is incorporated, beat for about 10 mins on a high speed until pale in colour and doubled in volume.
• Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then add the nut and flour mixtures and carefully fold in. Set aside. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• For the filo layers, use some of the melted butter to brush the inside of a 23cm bundt tin. Lay the sheets of filo on a board and cut them in half down the middle to give you 16 strips. Take eight strips, keeping the rest covered, and brush one at a time with more butter. Arrange in the tin, making sure the inside of the ring is covered, with overhang. Repeat with the remaining filo.
• Dollop the cake batter evenly into the tin. Fold the overhanging filo strips inwards to cover the cake mixture, trimming off the excess. Brush the top of the filo with more butter, then prick all over using the point of a sharp knife. Bake for 25 mins or until golden. When a skewer is inserted it should come out clean with no sticky crumbs.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the sugar, honey, rosewater, cinnamon stick and 300ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 mins. Do not stir.
• Pour half of the hot syrup over the baklava cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Leave the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin, carefully turning it out onto a lined baking sheet. Poke the top of the cake with a skewer. Return it to the oven for approximately 15 mins or until the filo is crispy and golden. Meanwhile, reheat the remaining syrup, then pour over the cake when it comes out of the oven. Leave to cool or come to room temperature before serving.
• Pipe rosettes of rosewater cream on top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts, pistachios and edible rose petals, if you like. Will keep for three days in the fridge.