Ingredients (makes 2 cakes):
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3/4 cup of sugar
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1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
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11/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
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grated zest of one orange
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1 teaspoon salt
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41/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup unsalted butter
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3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons honey, boiling
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1/2 cup strong brewed espresso coffee
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1 egg
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1/3 cup amaretto or rum
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1/3 cup jam; wild cherry or raspberry
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coffee beans and candied orange peel for garnish
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1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix the sugar, spices, orange zest, baking soda, and salt into the flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until it is the size of small pebbles. Pour in the boiling honey, coffee, and liqueur and mix until smooth. Let cool and then turn out onto a floured surface.
Divide the dough in half. Roll the first half into an 18-inch long cylinder. Make a deep trough down the centre and carefully place it, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure that the smooth side is up. Bend the dough carefully into a circle and fashion the snake’s head at one end, making a triangle shape. Taper the other end to make the tail. Firmly set two coffee beans for the snake’s eyes. Bake the cakes at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
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