Non-bake Ancient Greek Cake with Seeds, Nuts and Dried Fruit
Ingredients:
Filling:
½ cup golden raisins, soaked overnight
½ cup dark raisins, soaked overnight
1 cup almonds, soaked and blanched
1 cup dried apricots, soaked
8 Tbsp honey (for vegans: use raw agave nectar or any other natural liquid sweetener)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups hazelnuts
½ cup walnuts, soaked overnight
2 cups poppy seeds
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper (optional but highly recommended)
Water as needed
Crust:
3 Tbsp honey (for vegans: use raw agave nectar or any other natural liquid sweetener)
2 cups sesame seeds
Directions:
The mixture:
1. In a medium pan, dry toast the poppy seeds on medium heat for 1 minute. Transfer the poppy seeds in a separate contained and toast the hazelnuts the same way.
2. Add all the ingredients for the filling in a blender, starting with the soaked dried fruits, then adding the almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, then the honey and olive oil. At last, add the poppy seeds and the pepper. If the mixture gets too dry, add cold water, one tablespoon at a time. The mixture should not have a liquid consistency. You need a strong blender for this.
The crust:
3. blend together the sesame seeds and the honey until you have obtained a homogeneous mixture.
Assemblage:
4. Divide the sesame paste into two equal parts. Spread the first half on a parchment paper lined 8X11 pan, add the filling on top, pressing down with the back of a spoon until it is evenly spread in the pan. Add the second half of the sesame seed on top of the filling and refrigerate for at least eight hours.
5. Cut in squares and serve.