Observer Food Monthly's 20 best recipesFoodA delicious treat with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern origins
The recipe for this Sephardi Passover cake was given to me in 1960 by a woman of my parents’ age who had moved from Aleppo to Egypt, but the cake is neither Syrian nor Egyptian. I have traced its passage from Andalucia, through Portugal and Livorno in Italy, to Aleppo where families of Iberian origin were seen as “grandees” (signorim) in the Jewish community.
Serves 12
oranges 2 large
eggs 6
ground almonds 250g
caster sugar 250g
baking powder 1 tsp
butter and flour for the cake tin
Wash and boil the oranges unpeeled, in a little water for 1½ to 2 hours until they are very soft. Let them cool, then cut them open and remove the pips. Turn the oranges into a puree in a food processor.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered and floured cake tin, preferably non-stick with a removable base. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (170C fan/gas mark 5) for about 1 hour. If it is still very wet, leave it in the oven for a little longer. Cool in the tin before turning out. This is a very moist cake that may serve as a dessert.
From A New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Penguin, £25). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com
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