For the paste, reduce the almonds to 1½ cups, add 1½ cups chopped dates, and replace the orange juice and zest with lime juice and zest. Individual Snake Cakes
Cut the folded phyllo sheets into 4- by 10-inch pieces, and stack and butter as directed. Place one almond paste log on top of each stack, roll into a cylinder, and shape into a small coil. Walnut-Lemon Snake Cake
For the paste, replace the almonds with walnuts, replace the orange juice and zest with lemon juice and zest, and add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom.