This old-fashioned cake comes from the time when housewives used basic ingredients that were always at hand, such as grains, seeds and honey. These cakes are simpler and healthier treats. They were not made often, but mostly for special occasions, because honey was precious. In addition to being a sweet treat, these cakes often served as an energy snack for travelers and field workers, because they could stand for a long time and provided energy due to the combination of honey and sesame. Today, in addition to taking us back in time, they are also a great natural sweet without added sugar.
Ingredients
• 250 g of sesame
• 200 g of honey (preferably acacia or meadow honey)
• 50 g of walnuts or almonds (optional, finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• a little butter or oil for greasing the tray
Preparation – step by step
- Preparation of sesame seeds: Pour the sesame seeds into a dry pan and gently fry them at a medium temperature until they begin to acquire a golden color and a pleasant smell. Stir constantly, so that it does not burn, because the bitter sesame can spoil the taste of the cake.
- Making the honey mixture: Heat the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until it becomes more liquid and begins to boil gently. Add lemon juice (it prevents crystallization and gives a mild refreshing taste).
- Mixing the ingredients: Mix fried sesame seeds (and chopped walnuts or almonds if desired) into the hot honey. Mix quickly until everything is well combined and the mixture becomes thick and sticky.
- Forming the cake: Grease the tray or line it with baking paper. Immediately pour the mixture into the tray and level it with wet hands or a roller. While it is still warm, cut it into rectangles, diamonds or bars (it will be hard later).
- Cooling: Leave to cool completely and harden. When the cake hardens, separate the cut pieces and store in a tightly closed container.
Tips
- Sesame must be lightly toasted – this gives it full flavor and smells like nuts.
- Honey must not be overheated (so that it does not lose its beneficial properties) – it is enough to be hot and thick.
- The cakes are cut while they are still warm, because when they cool completely they become hard like candy.
- If you want a softer version, you can add a little sugar syrup or butter to the honey.
