Moroccan Honey Mint Syrup Cake Recipes

FRIED MOROCCAN HONEY CAKES

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs, orange juice and oil together in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and sugar and whisk until frothy.
• Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix with a WOODEN SPOON until smooth, but still a bit sticky. Cover and set aside for 1 hour.
• For the syrup, in a saucepan, heat water with lemon juice and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the honey and orange zest and simmer for another 5 minutes. Keep warm.
• Sprinkle some flour onto the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Work in just enough extra flour to make a dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
• Roll it out to a 1/4 inch thickness. It will be very elastic, so just keep rolling and resting until it stops shrinking back.
• Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out round shapes.
• Heat the oil in a large deep-sided frying pan to 325F or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 20 seconds. Fry the cakes 3 or 4 at a time until puffed and golden, about 1 minute on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Using tongs, dip each cake into the warm syrup long enough for it to soak inches Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm or cold.

MOROCCAN CAKE (LE RUSSE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Generously grease 3 (8-1/4-inch) pie pans or molds; Cut 3 rounds of waxed paper to line the bottom of each mold and generously grease the waxed paper.
• To prepare the meringue, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar; Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form; Divide the egg whites among the three molds and smooth the tops with a spatula; Place in the oven and immediately decrease the heat to 275°F (135°C); Bake until the meringue is hard but not brown, about 1 hour; (At this point, you can turn off the oven and let the meringues stand for a few hours or overnight).
• To prepare the ganache, reserve 12 hazelnuts for garnish; In a food processor, grind the remaining nuts with 1 tablespoon of the sugar until you have a fine meal.
• Combine the chocolate, coffee, brandy, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a heatproof bowl; In a large, heavy skillet, bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat; Remove the skillet from the heat; Place the bowl filled with the chocolate mixture in the skillet and stir gently until the chocolate melts; Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• Pour the cream into a large chilled bowl and whip with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; Gently fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream, and then fold in half of the ground nuts.
• To assemble the cake, carefully peel the paper from the bottom of each meringue; Set one round on a serving platter; With a spatula, spread one third of the ganache over the top; Cover with a second round, and repeat the procedure; Top with the third round, and spread with the remaining ganache, spreading it over and around the sides of the cake; Sprinkle with the remaining ground hazelnuts and garnish with the whole nuts; Refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours before serving.