This recipe comes from Brigitte Choufan. Born in Tunis, Brigitte lived in Paris for a time and immigrated to Israel after she got married in the early 1980s. “When I arrived in Israel, everyone was making this cake,” she recalls. She baked it often for her kids when they were growing up, but then it disappeared from her repertoire. This past weekend, as the war moved into its heartbreaking second week, her sons and grandsons asked her to bake it once again, to offer a slice of comfort.
Ingredients
1 kg (2.2 lb) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
¾ cup sugar
5 eggs, divided
1½ cup of water
Pinch of salt
200 grams (14 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
For the filling:
16 tablespoons of strawberry jam (or any other jam or chocolate spread that you like)
8 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
Preparation
- Add the flour, yeast, and sugar to a mixer with a kneading hook. Mix at low-medium speed to combine. Gradually add four of the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Then, add the water and salt, mix until a dough forms.
- Gradually work in the butter by adding about 50 grams (3½ tablespoons) at a time until it’s completely incorporated. Continue kneading for another 6 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a minute. Roll out and return to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise for an hour and a half, until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and divide into four equal pieces. Roll each one into a 30cm x 20cm (12 in x 8 in) rectangle that’s about ½ cm (¼ inch). Spread about four tablespoons of jam on each and then sprinkle each with two tablespoons of coconut.
- Roll all four pieces of dough into logs and transfer two to each lined baking sheet.
- Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush each log lightly with the mixture. Let the cakes rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C (390F).
- Transfer the trays to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until nicely browned.
- Let cool on the tray until room temperature and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
