Pascale’s Kitchen: Sweet Passover for all

I know that many people don’t like to bake on Passover and prefer to take a break from the oven and buy kosher for Passover cakes and cookies. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that – I totally get it. Nonetheless, I personally cannot imagine settling for store-bought cakes when there are so many great recipes that have been adapted for Passover. In my view, there’s nothing better in the world than the heavenly aroma of a freshly baked cake wafting through the house.

This year, I hosted Bat-Chen Shmaya, aka Hanoosha, a blogger who is just as sweet as the cakes she prepares. I discovered Hanoosha one day while I was scrolling through Instagram. She is a mother of three who lives in Tiberias, and was a medical secretary until COVID hit.

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Like everyone else, during the first lockdown she found herself at home and began looking for a way to pass the time. She recalled how as a child, she loved spending time in the kitchen with her mother making cakes. Hanoosha recalls how she would flip through magazines and look online for interesting recipes. She even took baking classes, focusing on technique and high-quality ingredients.

So when COVID hit, she finally had time to enjoy her old hobby and began baking cakes, which she would sell to families in her neighborhood. Soon, word got out and she was inundated with requests for her cakes. So she decided to devote herself full time to this passion, which quickly turned into a business, which included baking workshops for up to seven participants.

Hanoosha can be found on Instagram (@batchen_hanoosha). She sells to bakeries, cafés and individuals, with hopes of one day opening a boutique bakery in the North.

I invited Hanoosha to spend the day with me in my kitchen so that we could make a number of Passover cakes together. Most Passover cakes generally call for ground walnuts, almonds and peanuts. For me, however, the most important ingredient found in Passover cakes is coconut, so we decided to give coconut the attention it deserves.

The ingredient amounts for these cakes are given in grams, with volume amounts added in parentheses. If you want to be exact in your measurements, the best method is to purchase a food scale. If you choose to use volume measurements, make sure to use a universal measuring cup and not any old cup that you happen to have in your cupboard.

Moreover, you will achieve the best results if you approach these recipes with patience. There’s nothing like taking a bite out of an excellent cake you baked in your own oven. For me, spending the day with a young and talented pastry chef, who is also extremely modest, was a wonderful way to get into the Passover spirit.

Below, you will find five recipes that Hanoosha has shared for delicious dairy Passover cakes.

WALNUT CAKE

Use a round, 22-cm.-diameter pan.

Base:

• 5 large eggs
• ¾ cup (150 gr.) sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 50 gr. coconut, ground 
• 50 gr. walnuts, ground
• 3 Tbsp. (30 gr.) self-rising flour (kosher for Passover)
• 3 Tbsp. (45 ml.) oil

Cream:

• 2 containers (500 ml.) sweet cream
• 2 Tbsp. (16 gr.) powdered sugar
• 1 packet (80 gr.) vanilla pudding powder
• 1 cup (240 ml.) milk

Toppings:

• 1 cup whipped cream (saved from cream above)
• 2 Tbsp. roasted coconut pieces
• Fresh currants
• Mint leaves

To prepare the base: 

Add the egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer and whip on high speed. While mixing, gradually add half of the sugar. In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks, and mix them with the rest of the sugar. Gradually fold in the coconut, walnuts, flour and oil until just mixed.

Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture and mix well.

Grease the bottom and sides of the pan, then pour in the batter and flatten.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove the cake and let it cool completely.

To prepare the cream: 

Add the sweet cream, milk and pudding powder to the bowl of an electric mixer, and whip until cream is firm.

Spread the cream on top of the cooled cake, reserving 1 cup of cream for the topping. Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.

Transfer the extra cup of cream to a pastry bag with a serrated tip. Squeeze out mounds of cream on top of the cake, then adorn with coconut pieces, currants and mint leaves.

Level of difficulty: MediumTime: 1 hourStatus: Dairy

COCONUT SNOW CAKE

Use a round, 22-cm.-diameter pan.

Base: 

• 6 whites of large eggs
• 200 gr. (1 cup) sugar
• 2 cups coconut flakes

Chocolate layer:

• 200 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 250 ml. sweet cream
• 25 gr. butter

Cream:

• 250 ml. (1 container) sweet cream
• 80 gr. (1 package) vanilla pudding powder
• 120 ml. (½ cup) milk
• 100 gr. (½ cup) sugar

Toppings:

• ½ cup chocolate mixture (saved from above)
• ¼ cup sweet coconut pieces
• 3-5 pink strawberries

To prepare the base: 

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip at high speed for 7 minutes until stiff peaks form. While whipping, gradually add the sugar.

Fold in the coconut flakes. Grease the pan, then pour in the batter and flatten.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 170° for 20-30 minutes. Remove and let cake cool completely. The cake will shrink until its diameter is about 20 cm. It’s important to use a larger pan so that the chocolate can drip over the edge of the cake.

To prepare the chocolate layer: 

Pour the sweet cream into a small pot and heat over medium heat until it almost boils. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and the butter. Mix until completely smooth. Save ½ cup of the chocolate mixture to be used as a topping. Let the chocolate cool a little, then pour it over the base of the cake so that it completely covers the top and drips over the edge. Put the cake in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to set.

To prepare the cream:

Add the sweet cream, milk, pudding powder and powdered sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until firm. Spread the cream on top of the cake, then put the cake back in the freezer for 20 more minutes. Take the cake out and form lines with the chocolate cream on half of the cake, and add the coconut on the other half. Add the pink strawberries in the center.

Level of difficulty: MediumTime: 1 hourStatus: Dairy

BOUNTY CAKE

Use a 20 cm. x 20 cm. pan.

Base:

• 100 ml. (½ cup) oil
• 150 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 100 gr. (½ cup) sugar
• 70 gr. (½ cup) self-rising flour (kosher for Passover)
• 10 gr. (1 Tbsp.) cocoa powder

Coconut layer:

• 360 ml. (1¾ cups) milk
• 300 gr. (1½ cups) sugar
• 60 gr. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla cream spread
• 175 gr. coconut

Ganache:

• 250 ml. (1 container) sweet cream
• 150 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 100 gr. milk chocolate

Topping:

• ½ cup coconut strips, thinly sliced

To prepare the base: 

Place the oil and chocolate in a glass bowl, and melt in the microwave a few seconds at a time, until smooth. Set aside to cool down.

In a separate bowl, whip the eggs with the sugar until it becomes light and airy. Fold the cooled chocolate into the eggs and mix well. Add the flour and cocoa and mix until smooth. Transfer to a greased pan and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 17-20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

To prepare the coconut layer: 

Add the milk, sugar and butter to a pot and melt over low heat. Add the vanilla cream and coconut, and mix well. Let the mixture cool, then spread it over the base of the cake, and press down to cover the entire cake. Place in the freezer to set for 20-30 minutes.

To prepare the ganache: 

Pour the sweet cream into a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chocolates and mix well until smooth. Spread the ganache on top of the cake, then adorn with coconut strips.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 1 hourStatus: Dairy

RAFAELLO COCONUT BALLS

Makes 30 balls.

• 100 gr. white chocolate
• 200 ml. sweetened condensed milk
• 180 gr. ground coconut

To put inside the balls:

• 30 whole almonds or hazelnuts

Coating:

• 1 cup coconut flakes

Topping:

• White and pink edible flowers

Add the white chocolate to a glass bowl and melt in the microwave for a few seconds at a time.

Add the milk and coconut to the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Put the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes until it sets.

Take the mixture and prepare balls that are about 13 gr. each. Insert an almond or a hazelnut into the middle of the ball, then roll in your hand until the nut is covered.

Roll the balls in the coconut flakes so that they’re completely covered. Store in the fridge until serving. Adorn with edible flowers.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 1 hourStatus: Dairy

MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Use a pan that is 17 cm. x 26.5 cm., and 7.5 cm. high.

• 100 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 70 gr. (½ cup) cocoa powder
• 300 gr. (1½ cups) sugar
• 240 ml. boiling water
• 150 ml. (3/4 cup) oil
• 150 gr. self-rising flour (kosher for Passover)
• 50 gr. coconut flakes
• 6 egg whites from large eggs
• Pinch of salt

Chocolate ganache:

• 1 container (250 ml.) sweet cream
• 150 gr. bittersweet chocolate
• 100 gr. milk chocolate

Toppings:

• ½ cup sweet coconut flakes
• ½ cup crunchy raspberry pearls

Add the bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, ½ cup sugar and 1 cup boiling water in a pot. Mix and heat over medium-low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and add the oil while mixing. Let cool completely.

Transfer the melted chocolate mixture to a bowl, then add the flour, coconut and mix well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed. While mixing, gradually add the rest of the sugar. Mix until firm, but not stiff. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate, then the second 1/3, then the last third. Mix well.

Grease the pan well, then pour batter into the pan. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 165° for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven, let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares while the cake is still hot.

To prepare the chocolate ganache:

Pour the cream into a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chocolates, and mix until smooth. Pour the ganache over the cake so that it slides down into the cracks between the squares. Garnish with coconut flakes and crunchy raspberry pearls.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 1.5 hoursStatus: Dairy

Ceramic dishes: Courtesy Hadar Malach Ceramic Studio, Kfar Yona

Fruit and flowers: Courtesy Noy Hasadeh

Translated by Hannah Hochner.