This Carob Butter Dried Fruit Almond Torte is made with dates and prunes, lots of eggs, crushed almonds and a spread of Carob butter on top.
Torte of Dried Fruits
A thin sliver of this dense torte, sweet with dates and prunes is almost too healthy to be called a dessert.
While dates are often my go-to to for sweet treats I also chose the ‘often forgotten’ prune to balance the sweet dates.
Remembering that prunes are simply sun-dried plums, I knew the prune would bring a slightly tangy flavor to the caramel sweetness of the dates. It does!
Healthy Dried Fruit
Let’s face it, we all have a sweet tooth now and then, but we shouldn’t have to pay the price of ‘guilt’, when we do.
My Syrian mom would take my sisters and me to the Arab market a few times a year, when we were growing up. Grocery stores, back then, didn’t have specialty items.
We would delight on the apricot sheets, from Lebanon that were popular long before fruit roll=ups were a ‘thing’. Also, a huge bag of dried dates.
Fast forward to my health-minded life now, and I shared with you a few years ago many of my recipes for Energy Bites that are all reminiscent of the healthy Middle Eastern sweets I grew up eating.
Almond and Oat Flour
Oat flour and almond flour have become my favorite flours to use in many of my baked goods.
Grinding the oats into a powder takes seconds and is one-third the cost of buying it already ground.
The same is true for nuts and seeds, of which you will find these types of flour in my pantry more than any other type of flour.
- Almond and Oat Fig Tart is a favorite pie crust using oats and almonds instead of wheat flour.
- Orange Blossom Oat Cookies, using pecan flour for a nutty flavor makes for a crisp and very adult tasting cookie.
This torte is rich and dense in a way that almost seems like a health bar, but it is the perfect slice for afternoon tea or an evening dessert.
Almonds And Dried Fruit In My Pantry
If you know me, you know I have been a health nut for more than 40-years.
Long before the age of going to the gym, drinking health smoothies, or grocery stores loaded with ready-made health bars; it was a natural way of life for me.
Maybe I was just ahead of my time, but swimming is what kept me trim during and after having four children, and making all my food at home, snacks included, was just the way I’ve lived.
Carob
Carob and cacao are not the same thing, even though they taste similar and are used interchangeably!
In fact, carob powder is naturally sweeter and has a nutty flavor while cacao is bitter, but the good news difference is that carob has no caffeine. Great for late night treats!
What Is Carob And Where Does It Come From?
As you know, by now, I grew up in a Mediterranean influenced home. We had unusual ingredients in our kitchen that none of my American friends ever heard of. Carob was one of them.
The carob plant is a type of evergreen tree native to Mediterranean regions, that produces large pods with the carob seed inside.
Before I had ever heard of carob, I took a trip to Portugal, where I was introduced to it; alongside a trail through a wooded area where the trees grew.
Consequently, I learned something, non-food related – Carobs and Diamonds!
Carob Butter
Melting a little butter, then whisking it into a bowl of carob powder with no sugar (a drizzle of maple syrup or agave if you want a tad sweeter), does something strange.
At first it looks as though it has separated, curdled and definitely doesn’t pour. But, while it’s warm, you simply spread and then ‘press’ it on top of the torte or cookie.
Carob butter forms a solid top on a cake or cookie. It gives this torte a beautiful finish without mounds of icing or added sugar to an already sweet cake.
Torta de Frutta E Amaretto OR Almond and Fruit Tart!
Yes, this is my take on an Italian concept for a cake! Sweet dried fruits, crushed almonds into a flour with a sprinkle of oat flour to give the torte structure.
Call it a fruit and nut bar if you must, but this ‘torta’ is one you will make often, even if you change up the prunes for apricots or raisins!
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Butter
- Almonds
- Rolled oats
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Mace
- Cardamom
- Pitted dates
- Pitted prunes
- Orang blossom water
- Orange zest
- Carob powder
- Maple syrup
Equipment Needed
- Removable bottom torte pan
- Small pan – for melting butter
- Basting brush
- Food processor
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Icing knife, or spatula
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
Carob Butter Dried Fruit Almond Torte
Ingredients
- Torte
- Eggs – 4
- Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Butter – 16 oz (2 sticks), melted
- Almonds – 1 cup, crushed to a powder
- Rolled Oats – 1/2 cup, crushed to a powder
- Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp
- Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Mace – 1/2 tsp
- Cardamom – 1/2 tsp
- Pitted Dates – 3/4 cup, finely chopped
- Pitted Prunes – 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Orange blossom water – 1/2 tsp (or vanilla)
- Orange zest – 1 tbsp
- Carob Butter
- Carob powder – 1/2 cup
- Butter – 4 tbsp
- Maple syrup – 2 tbsp, or agave
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Melt 2 sticks of butter. Brush a little butter inside a removable bottom torte pan.
- In a food processor of mixer, whisk the eggs, orange blossom, zest and sugar for a good 3-minutes until light and creamy.
- With the machine running, slowly pour in the melted butter. Turn the machine off.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk until blended.
- Stir in the dried fruits. Transfer to the prepared torte pan.
- Bake until golden and firm, about 45-50 minutes.
- For the Carob butter, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, remove from the stove and whisk in the carob powder and maple syrup.
- While the cake is still warm, spread the carob butter on top, using the back of an icing knife to press the butter into place. The carob butter is able to be molded with a knife or hands while it is warm. When is cools, it hardens.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.