Wishing You a Year Filled with Sweetness and Joy!

As we savor the sweetness of apples and honey, we welcome a new year full of promise and hope. Just as each ingredient in Tishpishti has a unique essence creating a harmonious blend, may your coming year be enriched by family, friends, and community.

Tishpishti is a traditional Sephardic cake, in the spirit of nutty, sweet, syrupy North African and Middle Eastern desserts. This slightly Americanized version has a heady mix of spices and citrus, with a ginger-infused apple brandy syrup.

Shanah Tovah U’Metukah – A Good and Sweet New Year to You!!

Ingredients

For the Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
• 2-inch piece ginger, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise and smashed
• Zest from 1 medium lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons Applejack brandy

For the Cake:

• 4 large eggs (6.8 ounces; 190g)
• 3/4 cup sugar (5 3/4 ounces; 160g)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons (6g) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups unsweetened apple sauce

Directions

1. Prepare: Adjust rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ by 13″ aluminum baking pan with parchment paper, covering bottom and long sides of pan.
2. For the Syrup: In a 2-quart saucepan, simmer together sugar, apple juice, ginger, and lemon peel over medium-high heat, until syrup reaches 234°F. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and Applejack. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. For the Cake: In a mixer, combine eggs, sugar, and salt. Using a whisk attachment, whip on high until eggs become thick, pale, and ribbony, about 10 minutes. With mixer on medium, drizzle in oil until fully incorporated and thick. Whisk in grated ginger, about 10 seconds, then shut off mixer and remove bowl.
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold in almond flour, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined. Fold in apple sauce. Pour batter into pan and evenly distribute. Bake about 50 minutes until golden brown. Top of cake should bounce back to the touch.
5. While cake is warm, loosen short sides of cake from pan with a spatula or butter knife. Using parchment paper as a handle, lift cake out of pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into diamond shapes by making a series of diagonal slices in one direction across the cake, then making another series of slices parallel to the sides of the pan. Lift sliced cake using parchment, and return to pan. Strain syrup over warm cake using a fine-mesh strainer, then let sit at least 1 hour to allow cake to fully absorb syrup. Serve and enjoy!