French Spice Cake
I would be interested to know how the cake improves, if, as per Julia's suggestion, a person kept it wrapped up tightly for a few weeks before serving, instead of doing what I did - sliced into it as soon as it was cool. If one of you dear readers attempt the recipe, please let me know how you like the cake after you've kept it a month or so.
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups honey
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour {unbleached all-purpose will work fine too}
- ½ cup almond flour *
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup dark rum such as Myers’s
- ½ teaspoon EACH ground cinnamon cloves, ginger and nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper {optional}
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange or lemon peel
- ½ cup moist apricots chopped
- ½ cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Generously butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan or a 10-inch loaf pan {8 cup capacity}.
- Beat the honey, sugar and water in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment. When the sugar is dissolved, beat in the baking soda and salt. Add half the flour and beat about a minute.
- Gradually add the remaining flour and continue to beat another 2 minutes on medium speed - the batter will be stiff and sticky.
- Stop the mixer and add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix on slow speed to incorporate everything.Scrape the batter into the pan; smooth the top with a damp finger or spatula.
- Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour – while it bakes, the cake will rise beautifully to fill the pan.
- The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted in center emerges clean.
- Cool the cake on a rack for 15 minutes. If using a springform, release the pan sides; otherwise unmold the cake and place on a rack, top-side up. Cool for about 2 hours or until completely cool, then wrap well in plastic.
Video
Notes
My cake didn’t last a week on the counter, but it tasted delicious with a blob of lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream on top.