Chahrazed's Arabian Cookbook: Tahrir Square Cake كعكة ميدان التحرير

Qamarreddine, Apricot paste
The Egyptian note in this cake

This is how it looks like

‘Tunis to Tahrir the struggle for liberty
The beauty of people power burst onto the streets of Tunisia and

Egypt

. After decades of oppression, they finally found their voice’ EMEL Magazine

I have been following the unfolding events in

Egypt

for more than 2 weeks, watching the news on different channels up to midnight. Day after day, my admiration for the Egyptian people and their very very… civilised revolution was growing and inspiring. I felt empowered by the vibrant energy of the crowds.

When the relieving news of the president’s removal from power finally happed, I was so happy and so were a lot of my friends here in Aberdeen. I wanted to share this happiness with everybody and mark this event by something special, hence the idea of this cake.

Egyptian people, at least the ones I befriended over my time in Aberdeen are very interesting, creative and jovial people, able to crack a joke or put on an act in any situation. If you followed the slogans, the songs, the caricatures that emerged during their last revolution you will understand why I picked Kamareddine to flavour this cake; it is definitely an Egyptian note because it is a basic ingredient in a popular drink in Ramadan, it is sweet and it is tangy……

I wanted to call it Liberation square at first but my husband convinced me to call it

Tahrir Square

as the name in its Arabic version has been widely used in western media. May be one day this word will be in the English dictionary….

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plain yoghurt
3 cups flour
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp baking powder

Icing sugar
Caster sugar
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 cup almonds flakes (lightly toasted in a frying pan for 5 mn)
½ sheet Kamareddine (dried apricot paste) alternatively use Apricot jam
100g Cooking chocolate

Steps:

1. Separate the eggs whites from the egg yolks. Mix the eggs whites with ½ cup of sugar and whisk (using an electrical hand whisk) until it makes soft peaks.

2. In another bowl, whisk eggs, the rest of the sugar, oil, zest of orange until mixture is like a mouse. Add flour and baking powder and mix until smooth and all blended.

3. Add 3 tbsp of egg whites mouse to the 2^nd mixture and mix thoroughly

4. Slowly add spoonfuls of white eggs mouse and try to blend it carefully to keep the mixture light and airy

5. Cook in a preheated oven in a buttered and floured square baking tin for about ½ hour until golden brown (insert a knife to check that it is cooked). Leave to cool down

Meanwhile prepare the filling and the icing:

6. Mix 2 cups of boiling water and add a quarter of the Kamareddine sheet and 1 cup of sugar. Boil for another 5 minutes until the sheet is softer, then blend it to have a kind of pouring sauce.

7. Take 3 tbsp of this sauce, add 3 tbsp of crème fraiche and enough icing sugar to make an icing (a tick liquid)

8. Add another ½ cup of cold water to the rest of the sauce and reserve.

Assembling and decorating

9. When cake has cooled, divide it into two slices, pour the sauce on the bottom half, cover with the second half and cover with the icing,

10. Take handful of almond flakes and put on the sides of the cake. Decorate with melted chocolate and any leftover sauce