Moldavian layered pie on a silver tray on top of a white patterned tablecloth

Moldavian layered pie with hemp cream

Name: Moldavian layered pie with hemp cream
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: Romanian
Ingredients: 400g plain flour plus extra for dusting; 250g pumpkin seeds; 250g hulled hemp seeds plus extra to serve (optional); 3 tbsp runny honey; 125ml hemp milk, any non-dairy milk or water; 125g golden caster sugar; 2 tbsp runny honey; lemon juiced and zested

Irina Georgescu

Published: November 29, 2022 at 12:58 PM

Save recipe

Serves 16

Easy

Prep: 40 mins

Cook: 50 mins

+ resting

0 reviews

loading...

Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today

This sweet pie is traditionally made on Christmas Eve in Eastern Romania. It's made of layers of flatbread soaked in a honey syrup and spread with a hemp seed filling.

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

After Eight cake

A star rating of 5 out of 5.4 ratings

Baileys tiramisu trifle

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Caramelised white chocolate florentines

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Recreate this Moldavian layered pie, then check out our boozy mincemeat pie, rum and almond fruit cake and more Christmas baking recipes.

Irina says: "This pie is endearingly named pelincile domnului, which means ‘swaddling blankets of baby Jesus’. Traditionally made on Christmas Eve in Moldavia, eastern Romania, it represents a custom to gather every ‘fruit of the earth’ on the table, such as grains and seeds that can sprout in the next season. Hemp was an important crop in the region, so it makes an appearance alongside honey and wheat. The ground seeds make a filling called julfa, which can also be used in other dishes as an alternative to soft dairy cheese. The usual number of layers is 12 but feel free to experiment with fewer layers while practising your technique."

Recipe extracted from Tava by Irina Georgescu (£27, Hardie Grant)

Ingredients

Nutrition

400g plain flour

plus extra for dusting

FILLING

250g pumpkin seeds
250g hulled hemp seeds

plus extra to serve (optional)
3 tbsp runny honey
125ml hemp milk, any non-dairy milk or water

SYRUP

125g golden caster sugar
2 tbsp runny honey
lemon

juiced and zested

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal321
fat15.5g
saturates1.7g
carbs32g
sugars9.4g
fibre2.2g
protein12.2g
salt0.1g

Method

step 1

Combine the flour, 250ml of water and a pinch of salt in a bowl, and knead to a firm dough. Leave to rest at room temperature for 15 mins, then knead again and leave to rest for a further 15 mins.
step 2

Set a large cast-iron (or non-stick) frying pan over a medium heat. Don’t add any oil.
step 3

Divide the dough into 12 pieces, about 50g each. On a floured worksurface, roll and stretch one ball to a circle, 25cm in diameter (or as large as the pan). Keep dusting with a little flour underneath and on top of the dough, so you can roll and stretch it very thinly by hand. Lift and put in the hot pan (don’t worry if it loses its shape slightly) and cook for 3 mins, then flip and cook the other side for a further 3 mins – it needs to have the texture of a thin, dry biscuit. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, rolling and cooking one at a time. Stack them on a plate or a cooling rack.
step 4

To make the filling, grind the pumpkin seeds to a powder in a food processor. Add the hemp seeds and blitz together. Add the honey, then gradually add the milk or water, with the motor at medium speed, until the mixture reaches a soft, spreadable consistency. Set aside.
step 5

To make the syrup, bring all the ingredients and 450ml of water to the boil in a pan, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins until thickened. Pour into a large shallow dish, wide enough to fit one of the flatbreads inside.
step 6

To assemble the pie, soak a flatbread in the syrup for 30 seconds, then put it on a dish or a plate with a deep lip. Spread the flatbread with a thin layer of the filling. Repeat with all the remaining flatbreads, leaving the top one plain. You can spoon a little of the remaining syrup on top. Wrap the dish or plate in clingfilm, then put a tray on top and weight it down with something heavy. This will ensure that the layers are pressed evenly (don’t worry if they crack). Leave for 24 hrs, then slice and serve. You can serve as it is or save a couple of tablespoons of the filling to serve with it.

Discover more ways to bake with honey

Honey cakes recipe

Authors

Irina Georgescu

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

0 reviews

Want to see this content?

This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue