Do the Moroccan snake
Social gatherings haven’t been quite the thing in 2020. Sooner or later, though, they will be back. This sweet Moroccan “snake cake”, which takes its name from a traditional presentation of coiling pastry wrapped almond paste into a serpentine shape, is one of the best things to serve at such gatherings. Actually, it’s pretty good to have around in any context.
This recipe for m’hanncha I have slightly adapted from the one used at my local Moroccan diner, the Marrakech, which is particularly strong on great North African desserts.
Ingredients
150g butter
450g ground almonds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon blossom water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
150g sugar
375g filo pastry
Icing sugar, to dust
Cinnamon, to dust
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
In a bowl melt 50g of the butter, then add the ground almonds, cinnamon, blossom water, egg, vanilla extract, and caster sugar. Mix everything well until it forms a paste. It must not be too sticky- if it does, add more ground almonds.
Open the filo pastry. While you are working with the pastry, cover it with a clean damp cloth to stop it from drying out.
Melt the remaining 100g of butter. Lay out a stack of three sheets of pastry, because each serving needs three sheets. Brush the top sheet with butter.
Place small balls of paste, about the thickness of your index finger, in a line 4cm away from the shorter edge of the pastry. Making small balls, rather than one long line of paste, means that the pastry is easier to roll into a coil.
Roll the pastry up over the paste, then wind the rolled pastry into a coil. Just like a snake. Repeat, using three sheets of pastry each time, until there is no paste left. Brush the top of each coil of pastry with melted butter.
Brush an oven tray with butter, so the pastry doesn't stick to. Place the m’hancha on the tray, and bake them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown. If they’re not ready, bake them for another five minutes.
Dust them with icing sugar and cinnamon and serve, hot or cold, with coffee or tea. M’hanncha will keep for three or four days in an airtight container, but it is best to eat them when you first make them. Do the snake, baby! (Serves 15)