Honey-Soaked Walnut Cake (Tishpishti) - Pareve

Amarante

Wed, Jan 27 2021, 11:26 am

I was intrigued by this recipe - it was good and very rich. Almost reminiscent of a baklava flavor without the phyllo dough so easier to make since working with phyllo is stressful and also (at least in my opinion) is best when butter is used to coat the sheets. This cake is parve.

Honey-Soaked Walnut Cake (Tishpishti)

Excerpt From: Marcia Friedman - The Essential Jewish Cookbook: 100 Easy Recipes for the Modern Jewish Kitchen

KOSHER, VEGETARIAN / SERVES 8 TO 10

PREP TIME: 15 minutes / COOK TIME: 50 minutes, plus resting time

For Rosh Hashanah, honey cakes are a popular Ashkenazi dessert, but Sephardi and other Middle Eastern Jews bake syrup-soaked nut cakes in various styles, called tishpishti. This recipe, adapted from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America, creates a uniquely sweet, crumbly, and warmly spiced dessert.

½ cup olive oil, plus more for greasing
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Zest 1 medium orange
1 cup water, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup honey
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-by-9-inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Gradually work in the oil, ½ cup of water, and vanilla extract, adding more water as needed to moisten the dough.

3. Press the dough evenly into the baking dish. Cut into squares or diamond shapes. Bake about 50 minutes, until dry and lightly browned.

4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. Combine the honey, sugar, orange juice, and ½ cup of water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Gently boil for about 20 minutes and cool slightly.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over it. Let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving or cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve warm, room temperature, or slightly chilled.