• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • My Cookbooks
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Flavor Bender

Master the Science of Delicious

  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Desserts
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Candy & Bite Sizes
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies, Brownies & Bars
      • Frozen Desserts
      • Fruit Desserts
      • Puddings & Custards
      • Dessert drinks
      • No Bake
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Sweet Syrups & Spreads
      • Tarts & Pies
      • Cheesecakes
      • Healthy sweets
    • Breakfasts
      • Tarts, Quiches, & Pies
      • Waffles, Pancakes & Crepes
      • Quick Breads, Scones & Muffins
      • Breakfast Sandwiches
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Eggs
      • Breakfast & Brunch Drinks
      • Make Ahead Breakfasts
      • Healthy Breakfasts
      • Coffee and Tea drinks
      • Breakfast Smoothies & Juices
      • Breakfast Sides
      • Casseroles
    • Courses
      • Main Meals
        • Bread, Sandwiches & Burgers
        • Curries
        • Salads
        • Roasts & BBQ
        • Soups & Stews
        • Casseroles
      • Lunch
      • Beverages
      • Appetizers & Tapas
      • Sides
      • Dips & Condiments
      • Tea Time & Snacks
      • Desserts
      • Meal Prep
      • Cocktails
    • Cuisines
      • American
      • European
      • Australasian
      • Sri Lankan
      • East Asian
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South Asian
    • Sri Lankan
      • Main Meals
      • Drinks
    • Skill Level
      • Easy
        • Easy Desserts
        • Easy Cooking
        • Easy Breads
        • Easy Breakfasts
        • Easy Dinners
      • Intermediate
        • Intermediate Desserts
        • Intermediate Cooking
        • Intermediate Breads
        • Intermediate Breakfasts
        • Intermediate Dinners
      • Advanced
        • Advanced Desserts
        • Advanced Cooking
  • New? Start Here
  • Measurement Conversions
  • How-To Posts
Home Recipes
Posted:2/18/2018
Updated:12/1/2019

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange Blossom Honey Syrup

Recipes
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
538shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Disclaimer: The Flavor Bender is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you) that will help support this website.

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

This post has been sponsored by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas and Pure Flavors. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange Blossom Honey Syrup – A delicious, exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet, date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

 Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

A few years ago, I introduced my husband to baklava, and it was love at first taste. He couldn’t get enough of the addictive, rich, crunchy, syrup-soaked filo layers and the nuttiness. So when I first got the chance to try M’hencha – a “cake” made with sweetened almond paste wrapped in flaky filo dough, I knew right away that I had to acquaint my husband with this glorious Moroccan dessert (a relative of baklava in terms of taste).

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - Slice the cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream as a dessert or an afternoon tea treat.

But it did take me a while to perfect this. The end result is this deliciously exotic, but not too rich, Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange Blossom Honey Syrup, and I’m going to share with you guys all the tips I learned while making almond m’hencha. This gorgeous Moroccan dessert is also called “almond snake” or “snake cake” because of the way the filo is wrapped around the almond paste in a coiled form. The almond filling is nutty and almost fudgy in texture, and it’s wrapped with crispy, flaky filo pastry that’s been soaked in a delicious honey syrup.

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

Traditionally, Almond M’hencha is made with almond paste flavored with almond extract, powdered sugar, cinnamon and orange blossom water.

BUT I decided to sweeten the almond paste with dates instead of powdered sugar, and add some refreshing citrus flavors to brighten up the flavor profile of this pastry cake. And instead of the almond paste, I flavored the honey syrup with orange blossom instead.

I was able to achieve all the vibrant flavors of this citrus, date and almond m’hencha thanks to Nielsen-Massey products! There’s always a bottle of their vanilla in my pantry, and I’m a huge fan of their pure flavor range as well!

Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - Make the citrus, date and almond paste in the food processor. You can mix the egg yolk in the food processor or in the bowl.
Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - I used Nielsen-Massey flavoring to flavor this M'hencha.

It’s really no surprise why Nielsen-Massey products are of such high quality. They are a family owned and managed producer of premier pure vanillas and flavor extracts. They use fewer ingredients to produce their highest-quality products from vanillas to other flavor extracts. Their products are also all-natural, certified gluten free, kosher, allergen-free and GMO-free.

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

For this citrus, date and almond m’hencha recipe, I used lemon and orange extract for the almond paste. Using these extracts saved me the time of zesting lemon and oranges to get the same result in terms of flavor and quality. They add a delightful citrus flavor that perks up the taste of the almond paste. Because these Nielsen-Massey products use a proprietary process to gently extract the delicate flavor without losing any of the sweetness or richness of the original ingredient, you can rest assured that the flavors in the lemon and orange extracts, and orange blossom water are pure and strong.

Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - It is important to follow the tips on how to make M'hencha, to make sure you can create perfect coils that don't tear when you make this pastry.
When wrapping the almond paste with filo, make sure the filo sheet is slightly wrinkled as you wrap it.
Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - Please note the "wrinkled" filo sheets as the almond paste is rolled in the flaky pastry. This is key to making M'hencha.
Note the wrinkles in the filo sheet as you wrap the almond paste. This will help when you coil the pastry.

Both of these extracts are PERFECT for cakes and desserts. And they pair beautifully with savory dishes too. In this almond m’hencha cake, the orange blossom honey syrup complements the citrus flavor in the almond paste and adds a lovely floral sweetness to this dessert. It soaks up the filo pastry and infuses it with that lovely citrus flavor too. Unlike its close relative baklava, neither the almond paste, nor the m’hencha cake as a whole here are as rich and sweet.

Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - The flaky filo snake is wrapped around to create a coiled pastry cake. Brush with butter and/or eggs before baking.
Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - the orange blossom honey syrup will be soaked up by the pastry with time.

You can also check out my recipe for Pistachio and Orange blossom marshmallows, where I used Nielsen-Massey orange blossom water.

Another change that I had to make to create this date and almond m’hencha, was to use filo dough (or phyllo dough). Traditional almond m’hencha uses a dough called Warka which is a traditional Moroccan pastry (also called Moroccan filo dough), but filo pastry is a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Pour the hot honey syrup over the Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha, while it's warm so it soaks up all the honey syrup and it's flavors.
Freshly baked Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha, straight out of the oven. Golden brown, flaky pastry cake.

Here are some tips on how to make perfect Citrus, Date and Orange M’hencha

  • Use a good food processor to process the almonds. The finer the almonds, the smoother your almond paste will be. But don’t worry even if you can’t process the almonds until they’re very fine. The paste won’t be as smooth, but it’ll still be just as delicious!
  • Soak the dates overnight in water to soften them. I used Mejdool dates, but you can use any type that’s available to you. After soaking, I removed the seeds and the skin of the dates.
  • Be generous with butter or ghee! Filo pastry requires butter or ghee. It makes the pastry particularly flaky once baked.
  • Keep the filo dough covered with a damp cloth to avoid drying out. I had to use two. One for the filo dough stack, and the other for the rolled up pastry.
  • When rolling the almond paste, DO NOT wrap the filo tightly around the almond paste. I created some wrinkles and folds in the filo dough (please see pictures in the post), and then wrapped the almond paste with that wrinkly filo pastry. This is to make sure that the filo pastry doesn’t stretch too much and tear when you bend/coil the cake in the next step.
  • Pour the warm honey syrup over the HOT, freshly baked almond m’hencha, OR pour the HOT honey syrup over the warm almond m’hencha. It is crucial for either the syrup or the m’hencha to be hot, so that the syrup gets thoroughly absorbed by the pastry.

Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha - Orange blossom honey soaked, layers of flaky filo pastry. With a delicious, date sweetened citrus almond paste filling. See how flaky the filo pastry layers are!

The result is this glorious, delicious almond snake cake, that’s not too sweet (surprisingly, I know), but has a uniquely exotic, floral, citrusy flavor profile. It’s an impressive dessert, perfect for any occasion, or as a tea-time snack. If you like baklava, then you cannot miss this almond m’hencha!

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha with Orange blossom honey syrup - A delicious and exotic Moroccan delicacy! A sweet date and almond paste wrapped in honey syrup soaked filo pastry.  It tastes just as amazing as it looks!

Citrus, Date and Almond M'hencha

Serves 16 servings
Print Rate

Ingredients:

CITRUS, DATE AND ALMOND PASTE

  • 7.7 oz blanched raw almonds
  • 4.2 oz Mejdool dates
  • 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey Pure Lemon Extract
  • 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
  • 1 egg yolk

M'HENCHA

  • 9 sheets filo pastry 18” x 14”
  • ½ cup melted ghee or butter use more as needed

ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY SYRUP

  • 7 oz good quality honey
  • 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • Pinch of salt

TO SERVE

  • Whipped cream or ice cream to serve
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

CITRUS, DATE AND ALMOND PASTE

  • Place the dates in a bowl. Add just enough water to cover the dates. Cover and let them soak for a few hours, or overnight. Next, drain the water, and remove the seeds and skin from the dates. Set aside.
  • Place the blanched almonds in a food processor. Process on high until you have finely ground almonds. Add the lemon extract, orange extract and dates and process until you have a smooth ball of almond paste.
  • Place the almond paste in a bowl, and mix in the egg yolk. Use a spoon to mix in the yolk until it's fully incorporated. Cover and chill until needed.

M'HENCHA

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap the filo dough on your work surface and cover it with a damp tea towel.
  • Take one sheet of the filo dough and brush it with melted butter. Place a second filo sheet on top.
  • Take ¼ of the almond paste and form a ½ inch thick “snake” (see pictures in post) along the long edge of the filo dough. The almond "snake” won’t be as long as the filo dough, so create some wrinkles in the dough so that the almond paste log fits better.
  • Apply butter on the surface of the filo pastry, and wrap the almond “snake” with the pastry. Make sure that the filo pastry isn’t too tight or taut and there are some wrinkles in the wrapped dough.
  • Gently, bend the wrapped filo “snake” to form a coil. Use melted butter to stick the dough together to keep the shape. The wrinkles in the filo dough should make it easier to bend/coil the pastry. Keep the coiled pastry covered with a damp tea cloth, while you prepare the other pastry sheets.
  • Repeat this process with 2 more filo sheets and another ¼ of the almond paste. Wrap the resulting filo snake around the previous coiled pastry. Repeat this whole process two more times, with 4 more filo pastry sheets and the remaining almond paste.
  • Brush melted butter on the final filo sheet and fold it in half. Brush the top of this with butter, and carefully place the coiled up m’hencha pastry on top. Fold over the edges of the bottom filo to create a “base” for the Almond m’hencha. Then place the m’hencha on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown in color.
  • While the m’hencha is baking, get the honey syrup ready. Once the pastry is baked, pour the honey syrup over the pastry as evenly as possible. Set aside for at least 1 hour, until the pastry has thoroughly soaked up syrup.
  • Serve warm, or at room temperature with cold whipped cream, whipped mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.

ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY SYRUP

  • Dissolve the salt in the water and add it to a saucepan along with the honey and orange blossom water. Bring the honey to a boil over medium heat while stirring frequently (to prevent the honey from burning). When the honey starts to foam up, remove it from the heat. It can be used immediately or kept warm until needed.
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

Make sure you check out all the amazing vanillas and pure flavor products from Nielsen-Massey and follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to see all the incredible recipes that they have too. Especially the lemon and orange extract, as well as the orange blossom water, so that you can make this glorious Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha for your family and introduce them to a unique and delicious Moroccan dessert!

If you liked this Citrus, Date and Almond M’hencha recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER,INSTAGRAM,  PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.

The Flavor Bender - Euphoria

538shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin

More Recipes You'll Love...

  • Vanilla Blood Orange Syrup - An easy recipe for homemade Vanilla Blood Orange Syrup that is perfect for desserts, cocktails and non alcoholic homemade soda! 
    Vanilla Blood Orange Syrup
  • Orange blossom Marshmallows with Pistachios - Fluffy, melt in your mouth homemade Marshmallows made with no corn syrup and so easy to make too! Flavored with exotic orange blossom water and roasted pistachios, these are perfect for gift giving for Christmas or any holiday. 
    Orange Blossom Marshmallows with Pistachios
  • Orange Whole Wheat Scones -Nutty, fragrant and delicious with a soft and tender crumb. Flavored with orange zest, orange blossom water and honey and perfect for breakfast. 
    Orange Whole Wheat Scones with Honey

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hey there!

Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to Canada in 2019! My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

Read More
Secret Layer Cakes Cookbook
The flavor bender
cookbook
Buy now on Amazon!

Recipe Basics

Learn how to make Perfect Choux Pastry (Or Pate a Choux!) - The only recipe guide you will ever need to make choux pastry, with perfect results every time. Plus a troubleshooting guide for your choux pastry recipe.  Fool proof choux pastry to make profiteroles, eclairs, cream puffs and more.  #ChouxPastry #Profiteroles #Eclairs #Pastry #CreamPuffs

How to make Perfect Choux Pastry

Classic Chocolate Eclairs - A foolproof recipe for making perfect eclairs that are crisp and puffy and filled with chocolate or vanilla pastry cream. 

Perfect Classic Chocolate Eclairs (Foolproof Recipe)

How to make Marshmallows - Learn the art of making fluffy, soft homemade marshmallows with or without corn syrup! With tips and information to make the perfect Marshmallows in many flavors. 

How to make Marshmallows (tips and tricks for homemade marshmallows)

How to make the best Homemade White Bread that is soft and delicious. An easy to follow recipe for perfect homemade bread with step by step instructions.

The Best Homemade Bread (White Bread Recipe)

Classic Pound Cake - A complete guide on how to make perfect, delicious and moist Pound Cake even if you're a baking novice! Tips + Tricks and Troubleshooting guide. 

Classic Pound Cake (Tips for a Perfect, Moist Pound Cake)

This Classic Chocolate Cake is the only and best chocolate cake recipe you will ever need! It has layers of soft, airy chocolate cake layers, with a creamy, buttery, melt in your mouth Chocolate buttercream frosting. Perfect cake for Birthday cake, or any occasion. 

The Best Classic Chocolate Cake

Chocolate
Cakes
Bread
Sri Lankan
Breakfast
Drinks
Candy
Pastries
All Recipes
Featured On
taste of the World
Free recipe ebook

Get my curated collection of the Top 10 Flavor Bender recipes!

  • 10 delicious chocolate recipes
  • Creative ways to use chocolate
  • Desserts and savory recipes
Download now!

Reader Faves

How to make Instant Pot Short Ribs - This easy recipe makes delicious, tender and succulent short ribs with classic flavors!

How to make the Best Instant Pot Short Ribs

Buttery Lemon Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce - Perfectly cooked, juicy slow roasted Salmon with a buttery tangy sauce! Delicious and versatile for any meal and occasion. 

Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Unbelievably easy Rough Puff pastry - Quick and easy to make and tasted infinitely better than store bought (30 -45 minutes only)! No long waiting times, to make this amazing pastry and NOONE will know you took a shortcut!

Perfect Quick and Easy Rough Puff Pastry

Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!

The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce!

The flavor bender

I love baking, and I love cooking. I experiment with flavors, textures and ingredients, and I love passing on all my tips and tricks to you!

Read More
  • About
    • Meet Dini
    • My Book
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
  • Browse
    • Recipes
    • Measurement Guide
    • Baking How-To’s
    • Shop My Faves
© The Flavor Bender
  • Privacy
  • Disclosure
  • Terms
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

Join the flavor bender tribe!

Join my FREE recipe challenge to receive new recipes and dinner ideas straight to your inbox!