Honey cakes.....The Food of the Gods

18 sheets ready-made filo pastry (unwrap and keep under a damp tea-towel until you are ready to use)
225g/8oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
225g/8oz mixed pistachios and walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

For the syrup
350g/12oz granulated sugar
300ml water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange blossom water

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 17cm x 28cm (11in x 7in) baking tray with butter.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat. Lay 10 sheets of filo pastry, one at a time, into the tray, brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next.

In a clean bowl, mix together the nuts, sugar and cardamom and spread the mixture over the pastry in the tray. Layer up the remaining sheets on top of the nut mixture, brushing each sheet with butter, as before.

Using a sharp knife, cut a criss-cross diamond pattern into the top layers of the pastry.Place baklava in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and cook for an additional half hour to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is slightly puffed and golden on top. Do not allow the top to burn. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

For the syrup, heat the sugar, water, lemon juice and orange blossom water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has melted and a syrup is formed. (This will take about 20 minutes or so.) Pour the syrup into the slits in the baklava and leave to cool. Cut into small diamond-shaped pieces and serve.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 cup thinly sliced peeled tart apple
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons honey

Method

Line a 6-in. round baking pan with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Arrange apple slices in a single layer over cinnamon.

In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg. Add milk and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and remaining cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until blended. Spoon over apple.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.

Ingredients
1 cup strong coffee
1¾ cup plus1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoon cognac
4 eggs
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or walnuts
¾ cup golden raisins
4 Tablespoons candied citron

Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).
Method
Generously grease and flour two 9%u2033 x 5%u2033 loaf pans.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the coffee and honey and bring to a boil. Let cool, and then stir in cognac. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the oil and brown sugar.
In another large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir in the nuts, raisins, and citron.
Stir the flour mixture and honey mixture alternately into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 70 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch. Do not serve for 24 hours, so that the flavour of the honey has a chance to develop.

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) unbleached, plain flour, plus extra for kneading
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
400 ml (14 oz) olive oil
250 g (8 oz) caster sugar
125 ml (4 fl oz) cognac,
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 oranges
4 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground clove
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Honey syrup
500 g (1 lb) honey
250 g (8 oz) sugar
2.5 cm (1 in) piece of cinnamon bark
1 clove
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Almond Topping
75 g(3 oz) almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

Method
Start by making the syrup.Put the honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove and lemon zest in a saucepan and add 250 ml (8 fl oz) water.
Bring to the boil and simmer 5-10 minutes. Add the lemon juice then chill.

To blanch the almonds, plunge them into boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until you see signs of their skins loosening.Then drain and slip or pop them from their skins onto a baking sheet.Toast them in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F, gas 4) for about 10 minutes - just until they begin to colour.Cool then chop them very, very finely - if you do this in a food processor, make sure the pulses are short, or the nuts could turn oily.Mix the ground almonds with sugar and cinnamon and reserve.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together.Put the olive oil and sugar in a large bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon.Beat in the cognac, the orange zest, spices and juice from 2 oranges- 125 ml (4 fl oz). Then beat in the flour, a few spoonfuls at a time, until you have a malleable dough, adding more flour if it is too soft, and more orange juice if it is too stiff.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until very smooth.Pinch off pieces of about 2 tablespoons and form into flattened oval or lozenge shapes.Place them on an oiled or non-stick baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 200-215°C (400-425°F, gas 6-7) for about 20 minutes, until brown.

When they are cool enough to handle, dip them in the bowl of syrup for about 1 minute.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray to cool.Sprinkle with the chopped almond mixture.