Honey And Saffron Cake Recipe 425

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a round, deep 20cm cake tin with two layers of baking parchment (see Knowhow, below). Tie a few sheets of newspaper around the outside of the tin, level with the top of the baking parchment.
• Heat the brandy in a small pan, then add the saffron and leave to infuse off the heat for a few mins. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl, then beat together until creamy and smooth. Mix the fruit, nuts and brandy saffron mix into the batter and stir well.
• Spoon into the prepared tin, smooth the top and make a slight dip in the middle. Bake for 1½ hrs, then cover loosely with foil to stop the top over-browning. Turn oven down to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1 and cook for 1 hr more until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then, while it's still warm, prod the cake all over with a skewer.
• Mix the brandy and honey together and spoon over the cake. Wrap up well in foil and keep in an airtight container until Christmas, feeding with more honeyed brandy every so often.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch diameter cake pan and line with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, mix together the semolina, sugar, almonds, baking powder and salt. Whisk in eggs and melted butter. Add the orange and lemon zests and almond extract and beat well. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool.
• As cake cools, make the syrup: Put orange juice, sugar, honey, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and apricots in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar, and then simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Set aside. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Use a skewer to poke holes all over and slowly pour syrup evenly over cake. Once the syrup has cooled slightly, arrange the spices and apricots on top of the cake to your liking. Leave cake for at least an hour to fully absorb syrup, or, if possible, wrap and store in a cool place (don't refrigerate) for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, CARDAMOM and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the honey and butter at medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar, beating constantly. Add the saffron water and the eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Gradually add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Spread evenly into the pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. While the cake cools, combine the syrup ingredients and allow to cool slightly. With a long wooden skewer, poke holes in the cake, poking through to the bottom of the pan. Coat the cake with the syrup, using it all and covering the whole top of the cake. Cool completely. In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Drizzle in the honey, beating just until blended. Serve the cake with dollops of the whipped cream. Store any leftovers (in the unlikely event that there are any) in the refrigerator. Prep. time: 20 minutes Baking time: 40-45 minutes Serves: 16-24

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Oil the base of a 23cm ring tin (or oil and line the base of a 20cm round or 18cm square cake tin). Put the ground hazelnuts in a frying pan and toast over a medium heat, stirring frequently until evenly browned. Leave to cool, then mix with the semolina, caster sugar and baking powder.
• Finely grate the zest from one orange and combine with the eggs and oil. Beat well with a wooden spoon, then fold into the dry ingredients. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 mins, until risen and firm to the touch.
• While the cake is baking, pare the zest from the other orange and cut into very thin shreds. Put in a saucepan with the juice from both oranges, the saffron and icing sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 5 mins.
• When the cake is done, leave it to cool in the tin slightly, then turn out onto a plate. Peel off the lining paper. While the cake is still warm, skewer it well and spoon the syrup over. Serve as it is, or with yogurt or crème fraîche and orange segments. The cake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.