M’hanncha

This was definitely a job for the two of us. We had wanted to make a ‘snakey cake’ or, as it’s properly called, a m’hanncha.

It actually looks more difficult than it is, and it’s certainly a lot of fun to make.

I mixed up the filling, which is butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, almond essence, all purpose flour, and some rose water which you have to be careful not to use too much rose water, as it’s a very strong flavouring.

We then placed about 10 sheets of overlapping filo pastry on the dining table, and made a long sausage of the mixture along one edge of the filo, about 10cm in.

Brian then started rolling it up, and we soon were both rolling it in unison, so as not to split it.

We then rolled it around, like a snake. I had a bought a plastic table covering so we could make the whole thing on the dining room table, as it’s about 2m long before being rolled.

After it was baked I sieved some icing sugar over it and sprinkled on some edible rose petals.

Voila! Snakey cake.