PECAN, WALNUT AND HONEY SNAKE CAKE…

Pecan Walnut Honey Cake

Well I am off again in the bright wee hours, this time to Germany and Switzerland for some serious recipe development business. Its a tough job, but someone has to do it! I am gone for a couple of weeks, and so Tenina.com will go quiet, but you can always keep up with my shenanigans by following all the fun on Facebook! I promise to post lots of photos…of food of course!

This dessert is a bit of a variation on a theme…starting with this savoury version which then made its way over to my fave Aussie food blogger’s site where NotQuiteNigella did another filling, but with the serpent coil idea…which sounds so much better than a ‘snake coil pastry’ which is something I have seen it called elsewhere…officially the filo in this shape is called a M’hanncha. So given my last O/S trip being to Dubai, this seemed so fitting on the eve of my next trip. Add honey syrup as desired. Totally fattening, but just have a little slice…go on…M’hanncha!

NEED:

Filling;

400g pecans/walnuts/mixture

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean

1 tsp cardamom

150g sugar

1 tsp pure orange oil (or zest 1 orange in with sugar)

1tbsp orange flower water

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste (THE best vanilla bean paste on the planet!!)

2 egg yolks

150g unsalted butter

DO:

Dry roast nuts by placing onto lined baking sheet and placing into cold oven set to fan forced 200°C for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Place cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom and sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 sec/speed 8. Add remaining filling ingredients and blend for 8 sec/speed 6. Add cooled nuts and blend for a further 10-12 sec/speed 8.

Place into fridge until well set.

Reduce oven temperature to 180°C.

Assemble ‘snake’ by laying filo pastry on wet tea towels along a bench. Melt butter as needed (approximately 125g) and brush between layers of filo, building up around 4-5 layers. Arrange filling all the way along and roll up. Brush with more butter and patch pastry as necessary.

Roll coil, top with a few extra chopped pecans and bake on large paper lined tray for approximately 20 minutes until pastry is flaky and golden. Melt around 60g honey and brush over pastry while it is still hot after removing from oven.

Cool slightly before eating…or not!