fakia del moulouk

Ingredients for 100 cakes :

Almond paste:

* 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of almonds * 200 g (7oz) of caster sugar * 1/2 teaspoonful of cinnamon

* 1 soupspoonful of melted butter * 3 soupspoonfuls of orange-flower water

* red, green and yellow colouring matter * cloves or flaked almonds

Pastry:

* 100 g (4 oz) of flour * 3 soupspoonfuls or orange-flower water * 1 soupspoonful of melted butter

Preparation: 

Skin the almonds, wipe with a clean cloth and mix with the sugar and orange-flower water. Put through a mincer 3 times. Add the melted butter and cinnamon and knead the paste a little.

Divide in 3 and colour with the 3 different colours. Make balls the size and shape of walnuts and put on one side.

Mix the flour with the orange-flower water and melted butter. Knead hard. Roll out the pastry, turning it over several times, then roll it round the rolling pin, stretching it lightly all the time to keep its elasticity. Unroll the pastry on the table in a long ribbon,

the thickness of thin cardboard. Cut strips 3 mm (about 1/10”) wide with a serrated pastry-cutter. Wrap a ribbon of this pastry round each piece of almond paste, just like tying a ribbon round an Easter egg. Stick a clove or an almond flake on top of each one, put on an oiled baking-sheet and cook in a moderate oven for 10 to 15 minutes.