DESCRIPTION:
This recipe was originally taught to me by my best friend’s mom, Helen Tehrani. She would make a delicious cake for Passover using matzo, eggs, and oil. Now I have recreated it, making it vegan and oil-free. This cake is dense, as we’re using Matzo for flour and it does not rise like a conventional cake. I have managed to recreate it without sacrificing the flavor.
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cup finely ground matzo
2 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 medium oranges, zested & juiced
1/4 cup date paste
1 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cup fresh grated carrots
3/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
PREPARATION:
1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2-Break down your matzo sheets into smaller pieces and place them in your food processor fitted with an “S” blade. Process until it’s ground into a fine flour.
3-In a medium bowl, place 1 1/2 cups of the matzo flour, vanilla powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom and chopped pecans. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4-In a separate large bowl, place the applesauce, date paste, orange juice and zest, and mix until well combined. To this mixture, add the shredded carrots and stir well.
5-In a medium bowl, add the aquafaba with 1/2=teaspoon white vinegar. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or hand held electric mixer, starting on low speed, begin beating the mixture until soft peaks start to form. Gradually increase the speed. But be patient and take your time. You should have firm peaks that hold their shape after 10-15 minutes.
6-Start folding the whipped aquafaba into the wet ingredients until everything is combined. Now fold in the dry mixture, gently mixing until well combined.
7-Pour the mixture into a 9-inch round silicone cake pan and make sure the mixture is evenly distributed.
8-Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, until the top of the cake is a light golden brown. Be sure to let the cake completely cool before taking it out of the pan.
CHEF’S NOTE:
To make date paste, soak one cup of tightly packed, pitted dates in 1 cup of water overnight. Place the dates and the water into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.
Check out my YouTube video to see how I make this: https://youtu.be/bNSBzYWTUDI
