The recipe for Ma'amoul Tea Cake is offered to aficionados of Glass Petal Smoke as a token of appreciation in honor of the blog's ninth anniversary. Ma'amoul Tea Cake is fashioned after a Middle Eastern cookie of the same name, which inspired a story published in 2007; the same year Glass Petal Smoke was launched.
"In Search of a Cookie (Part One): Ma'amoul" is the first of two posts that tell the story of a pair of friends on a cookie quest inspired by remembrance. "In Search of a Cookie (Part Two): Cuccidati Revealed" follows the quest to conclusion, illustrating the need to commune with lost loved ones via sweet morsels from childhood that erase the bitterness of their absence.
Ma'amoul Tea Cake
(Yield: 10-12 Servings)
(Yield: 10-12 Servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
- ½ cup natural cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminum)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (non-iodized)
- 5-6 ounces chopped medjool dates
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 large eggs (slightly beaten, room temperature)
- ⅓ cup sweet unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 cup low-fat, low-sodium buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1 ½ teaspoon of grated organic orange zest
- 6-8 saffron threads (infused by soaking in 2 tbsp warm water for 10 minutes)
- 4 drops food grade essential oil of Neroli (can substitute 1½ tbsp orange blossom water)
- 1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan (or three 5.75 x 3 inch loaf pans) with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add infused sugar and flaxseed meal, blending well.
- In a medium-size bowl, mix eggs, melted butter, saffron infusion, vanilla extract, food grade Neroli (or orange blossom water) and orange zest. Add buttermilk and incorporate. Add chopped medjool dates and walnuts to the wet mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and add wet ones. Combine wet and dry ingredients together, folding gently with a silicone spatula. Be careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for smaller loads), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Refrigerate or freeze for future use. The large loaf yields 10 to 12 slices; the smaller loaf yields 5 to 6 slices.
Notes:
Glass Petal Smoke is an award-winning blog designed to inform those who are led by inspiration, joy and wonder when it comes to the world of flavor and fragrance. Its mission, vision and values haven't changed over the years. Glass Petal Smoke remains a vibrant educational vehicle maintaining the integrity upon which its reputation rests.
