Honey Almond Cake (Tishpishti) with Citrus Syrup

This honey almond cake was originally included in my cookbook as Tishpishti, which means quickly cooked cake in Turkish. I like to describe it as a baklava cake because of the flavored syrup, nuts, and the way you serve it - sliced in the pan then slathered and dripping with citrus syrup.

You might also enjoy my Ukrainian honey cake recipe.

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Whenever I use the word tishpishti, I get blank yet curious stares. Is it a dance? a type of food? a place of interest to visit? Actually, it's a cake - a honey almond cake with citrus syrup. Sometimes it's made with semolina flour or regular all-purpose flour, but my version uses almond flour. And across all the variations, you'll find that nuts and orange flavor are almost always part of the recipe.

Why you'll love this recipe!

• It's light: the whipped egg whites in this honey almond cake ensure it is not heavy and is a perfect receptor for the citrusy syrup.
• You can make it ahead of time: Like baklava, this cake will keep in the refrigerator for several days. So if you are entertaining and want a dessert to bake ahead of time, this is a great choice.
• It's gluten-free: I like the flavor of the almond flour but it also makes this cake naturally gluten-free so if you have family, friends or dinner guests that can't eat gluten, this is the cake to make.
• It's dairy-free: I used olive oil as the fat so the cake is also dairy-free.
• It's Passover-friendly: The added benefit of almond flour and olive oil is that this recipe is ok to use during Passover!
• Tastes good too: Did I mention this baklava-style cake is delicious with toasted walnuts, citrus and cinnamon baked and drizzled in?!

Ingredients you'll need

You'll almost certainly have all the ingredients you need for the syrup in the house and for the cake batter, almond flour is fairly easy to find these days!

For the syrup:

• Sugar or honey: My first rendition of this recipe for the cookbook used sugar in the syrup. In later bakes, I have started to use honey which is even more appropriate for the Rosh Hashanah holiday traditions. And it makes for a great syrup too!
• Citrus zest and juice: I really like the combination of lemon and orange and the tang of the lemon juice against the sweet. Should you find yourself with a tangerine and no orange, do not be dissuaded from making this. That would work too!
• Cinnamon sticks: Cinnamon sticks are perfect for infusing a syrup but they come in irregular sizes. So if you love cinnamon and want to use two, go for it!

For the cake batter

• Almond flour: I usually use Bob's Red Mill fine ground almond flour but other brands are fine too. Be sure you aren't using almond meal - that is a different texture because it's made with skin-on almonds.
• Walnuts: Toast and chop to a consistency similar to small pebbles.
• Eggs: Be sure to bring them to room temperature.
• Olive oil: Use a mildly flavored extra virgin olive oil (not your best peppery finishing oil!)
• Orange juice and zest: Use the fresh juice from the orange you zest!
• Cinnamon: Here you are using ground cinnamon, instead of cinnamon sticks.

Let's make this recipe step by step!

(Printable recipe card is at the end of the post with ingredients measurements and step-by-step instructions. This section includes more and larger pictures and high level explanations of the process.)

Syrup

1. Prep syrup: In a medium saucepan, boil all syrup ingredients over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to slightly reduce the liquid. Set syrup aside to cool and continue to steep while you make the cake, then strain it.

Cake Batter

2. Prep/Preheat: Chop the toasted walnuts. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with a parchment liner, allowing overhang to help remove the cake from the pan.

3. Beat: Place egg yolks in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until mixture is pale yellow. Add olive oil, orange juice, and orange zest, and continue beating for another minute on medium-high speed. Add walnuts, almond flour, and cinnamon, reduce speed and beat until just incorporated. Transfer to a different bowl, and wash and dry the bowl of the stand mixer.

4. Whip: Using the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Fold batter: Gently fold a cup of the whipped egg whites into the batter to lighten it up; then fold in the rest of the whites until evenly incorporated.

Bake and Serve

6. Bake: Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, then gently slice it into squares or diamonds. If you are not serving the cake directly from the pan, transfer it to a serving platter before pouring syrup. Pour ¾ to 1 cup syrup over the cake. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Store cake in refrigerator for up to a week.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs

1. Remember to bring your eggs to room temperature for this recipe.
2. Be sure to use superfine almond flour and not almond meal to make this cake.
3. If you plan to serve from the pan you bake it in, no need for the parchment.
4. It's fun to decorate the top with the cinnamon stick(s) you used in the syrup and the orange and lemon rinds.
5. A dollop of whipped cream (regular or non-dairy) would be a lovely topper!

FAQs about this baklava-style cake

Serving suggestions and related recipes

This honey almond cake is so flavorful on it's own, I often serve it with just a few more nuts and make a touch of orange zest. But certainly you can add a dollop of whipped cream and nobody will complain! Also, if this honey almond cake will be part of a dessert buffet, you can make the pieces small so people can enjoy a slice and try some other baked goods as well.

If you are serving this for Jewish New Year, be sure to check out my Rosh Hashanah post with lots of menu planning ideas for your celebration. If you are including this in your Passover Seder, then hop over to this Passover primer for lots more ideas for your flourless feast.

If you love baking with olive oil as much as I do, learn more about baking with olive oil from someone who wrote a whole book about it - Laura Bashar of FamilySpice.

P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!