How to Make Hanukkah Nut Cakes

Jewish people often celebrate holidays and remember their collective past through foods, especially desserts. Nut cakes are rich, delicious treats that are often served for breakfast or as a snack during Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays. This year, you can make a few for your home and some as holiday gifts for relatives and friends.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 7 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet wine
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cake meal

Make Hanukkah Nut Cakes

1. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks until they are thick and lemon-colored.

2. Gradually beat in sugar, mixing thoroughly before adding more. You may want to make this recipe using a sugar substitute like Splenda to lessen calories in this dessert.

3. Add wine into the mix and blend. Using alcoholic wine is important to the taste of this dish, but don't worry about the end result; it will burn off before it is served.

4. Mix the nuts and cake meal in a separate bowl. Slowly add it into the egg mixture, mixing thoroughly before adding more.

5. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they are stiff. Add them to the batter, mixing thoroughly.

6. Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food pan. Bake the cake in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F for 1 hour. If you're making multiple cakes, be sure to place them all on the same rack so they cook evenly.

7. Remove the cake from the oven after doing a toothpick test. Invert the pan onto a plate, but do not remove the cake until it is cold.

8. Top your cake with additional nuts or powdered sugar before serving for a Hanukkah party. Avoid serving this cake with ice cream, as the flavors will not usually compliment one another. Some people do prefer a nut based ice cream though, such as hazelnut or almond options.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not wish to use wine in the recipe, substitute a handful of chopped dates to keep the moisture and flavor of the cakes.
• Pour some extra chopped nuts into the pan before pouring the batter for a baked-in decoration that won't fall off outside of the oven.
• Don't use shallow pans for this recipe or the cakes will not cook properly. If you don't have angel food pans, reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes and test the cakes regularly so they don't burn.