Moroccan snake cake (m'hencha)

So called as it's in the form of a coiled snake, this cake is made for big celebrations in Morocco (one recipe I have for it makes a huge quantity for parties using 1kg of ground almonds!).

Recipe adapted from a Jamie Oliver one:

Moroccan snake cake (m'hencha)

Serves 6-8

250g soft unsalted butter
250 icing sugar
2 eggs
175g ground almonds
50g unsalted pistachios (or extra 50g ground almonds)
1 tablespoon rosewater
1 tablespoon orange blossom water (or another T of rosewater)
zest of a small orange
1 tablespoon plain flour
filo pastry left in packet at room temperature for at least 2 hours (makes it easier to coil)
melted butter to brush filo and grease tin
icing sugar and cinnamon to dust

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Grease a 20cm cake tin with melted butter.
Combine filling ingredients in a food processor till smooth.
Lay sheets of overlapping filo out in a line (I used 4 I think). Brush with a bit of butter to stop it drying out and working very quickly, spoon filling out in a line towards one edge of the filo.
Roll up into a sausage shape, brushing with extra butter as you go.
Then comes the fun bit - coil it into a snake shape and place into the tin. (I haven't managed to do this yet without the filo splitting but plonk it in the tin anyway. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference once it's cooked anyway as the filling holds it together.)
Brush with more butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Put on a rack to cool (it will firm up as it cools) and once cool, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.