Khobz el Bey, also called Khobz Tounès, is a moist and aromatic Algerian sweet pastry served during Ramadan to accompany tea or coffee. This simple cake is made with ground almonds, ground breadcrumbs, eggs and butter, and is baked in the oven then soaked with a perfumed syrup!

This cake is also a part of our Turkish legacy, appreciated by the Bey (Turkish title for governor) of the city of Algiers during the Ottoman Empire in Algeria.

Ingredients: for the cake

• 250g of ground rusk or breadcrumbs
• 250g of ground almonds
• 250ml of whisk eggs (6 or 7)
• 125g of caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
• 125g of melted butter
• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
• 7g of baking powder

Ingredients: for the syrup

• 500ml of water
• 250g of caster sugar
• 2 tablespoon of orange blossom water

Method: for the syrup

1. In a pan add the water and pour the sugar.
2. Cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes.
3. Add the orange blossom water.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Method: for the cake

1. Grease very well 8 deep ramequins or a baking dish (30 x 5 cm) and set aside.
2. In a large bowl add the ground rusk, the ground almonds, the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the baking powder.
3. Start to mix with a wooden spoon.
4. In another bowl whisk the eggs.
5. Add the whisked eggs in the large bowl and mix again.
6. Pour the cold melted butter in the large bowl and whisk gently all the ingredients.
7. Add the lemon zest, the orange zest and the orange blossom water.
8. Whisk the all ingredients together.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C degrees.
10. Pour the mixture into each ramequins or the baking dish.
11. Bake for 40 minutes (more or less depending the oven).
12. Remove from the oven when the little cakes are golden or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Pour the syrup on the top of each cake with a tablespoon (you can see how fast the syrup is absorbed).
14. When the cake absorbs the syrup, repeat the procedure several times until the cake becomes moist (it usually requires all of the syrup) and set aside for 1 hour.
15. Add some almond flakes or ground pistachios on the top.

Bonne dégustation, saha ftourkoum !