Inviting some friends over at the last minute, I wanted to whip up something simple but comforting for dessert, not to mention using only what I had to hand. This Caraway Seed Cake fitted the bill perfectly, served warm with vanilla ice cream. Luckily I had an extra set of hands to help so I could whip it up quickly and enjoy it with my guests.
Ingredients:
- 175g soft unsalted butter plus some more for greasing
- 175g caster sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling
- 150g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75g ground almonds
- 4 tsp caraway seeds
- 3 eggs
To start, grease and line a 900g loaf tin and preheat the oven to 180°. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then alternately add 1 tablespoon of the dry mix to the butter mixture and 1 egg at a time, beating well in between each addition.
When the ingredients are well combined, spoon it into the loaf tin and smooth down the top before sprinkling with the remaining sugar. Bake for about 45 minutes, but check at the 35 minute mark.
When it is set and crispy golden on the top, remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire rack, removing when it is cool to touch.
The recipe does state that the cake will sink in the middle as it cools, but I found mine didn’t sink very much at all, which I was pleased about!
This cake is essentially a butter cake with caraway seeds added. For my tastes, I would probably add about a teaspoon of ground caraway or aniseed to the mix along with the whole caraway seeds, the flavour just wasn’t strong enough. As I stated earlier, this was beautiful warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream as a simple dessert. It was also equally good for the next few days, having been kept in an air tight container.
A Tale of Two Kitchens 