I read somewhere that seed cakes are usual in England to celebrate the end of spring. We don’t have spring in Southeast Asia but I love seed cakes and I don’t have to wait for any particular season to bake one. This cake was inspired by Nigel Slater’s A frosted marmalade cake in The Kitchen Diaries, p. 8, which doesn’t include caraway seeds among the ingredients. Adding caraway seeds was my idea. I just used Mr. Slater’s recipe as a base. See, I like soft and moist cakes and his seemed to be the exact thing that I wanted.
If you’re not familiar with caraway seeds, they look like palay but darker, shorter and slimmer. They look similar to anise seeds too but totally different although the smell and flavor are not too dissimilar. Caraway seeds are highly aromatic (some describe the smell as pungent but I disagree), sweet but at the same time rather tangy. You can buy them dried in small jars in the spice section of most supermarkets. They do not require any further preparation; you just add them to the cake batter or bread or cookie dough.
This recipe yields one 10″x4″x3″ cake.
Ingredients:
3/4 of a 225-g. block of unsalted butter
3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. of white sugar
rind of 1 large orange
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-3/4 c. of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 c. of caraway seeds
1/3 c. of orange marmalade
juice of 1/2 orange
Preheat the oven to 350oF.
Lightly butter a 10″x4″ loaf pan (I used a non-stick loaf pan but I buttered it anyway just to be safe).
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and caraway seeds.
In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (I used a hand mixer but you can do this with a wire whisk). Pour in the beaten eggs little by little, mixing as you pour. Add the orange marmalade and zest; mix just until blended.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until no streaks of flour are visible. I did this by hand with a rubber scraper using the cut and fold method. Pour in the juice and continue folding until blended.
Pour into the prepared pan, leveling the surface with a scraper or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
The cake can be sliced after about 15 minutes while it is still warm. It was marvelous at that stage with the crisp sides and bottom and super moist interior. It’s not too sweet and the uncomplicated flavors make it an ideal partner for either coffee or tea.
THAT looks really good! I hope to try this recipe when I get an oven hopefully by the end of the year.
If you feel you don’t need a large oven, a turbo broiler is an option.
Thanks for the tip! I do have a turbo broiler. What is the recommended temperature and for how long should it stay inside the heat?
The temperature should be the same (a turbo broiler is really a small convection oven) but the cooking time may be a bit shorter.
thanks for this, miss sassy! i just finished baking it and i just love the smell. it tastes good too
I’m doing a poppy seed cake next.
hi miss connie! do i still need to preheat my turbo broiler (imarflex) when cooking meat or baking bread? what temperature and for how long? tnx!
Considering the size of a turbo broiler, I don’t think it’s necessary.
hi ms. connie…regarding using of turbo broiler…how much time should the cake need for it to be fully baked? u said earlier a bit shorter cooking time is needed. do you have any estimates? tnx much!
No, I don’t. And I said “may” be a bit shorter.
Hi Ms Connie,
Where did you find caraway seeds? tried the supermarket but did not find one.
S&R, Jan.
Can I use a simple aluminum baking pan or dish when baking in a turbo broiler? I see pirex baking dish but it always says that it’s not for broilers.
Thansk,
Jean
Hi Connie,
Is it ok just to use the simple aluminum baking pan to bake in turbo broiler?
Thanks,
Jean
Sure but non-stick pans must be greased and floured.