Mix together in a bowl

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 125g white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

In a small bowl, combine

• 200g flour
• 1–1/2 tsp baking powder

Stir the flour mixture into the batter. When mixed completely, add (♦ATTNby hand only)

• 175g mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc.)

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix as little as needed to blend everything together. Add the tepid coffee and as soon as that’s mixed in, beat in the remainder of the dry ingredients. By hand, stir in

• 1 cup of broken-up pecan (or walnut) pieces

When mixed thoroughly, refrigerate in covered container for four to twelve hours.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and form 2 logs, about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. They will be just under an inch high. Bake 20 minutes or until golden outside. Remove from oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 225º F immediately.

As soon as you can handle the cooked cakes, remove from the sheet, slice cross-wise into pieces about the width of a finger. Place pieces on rack, set the rack on a baking sheet and bake until dry and the cut sides start to show some color. This will take about 20 minutes, maybe a bit longer.

Adapted from a recipe in the cookbook Polpo by Russell Norman.