CARAWAY SEED AND LEMON CAKE WITH LEMONY CRÈME FRAÎCHE
CARAWAY SEED AND LEMON CAKE WITH LEMONY CRÈME FRAÎCHE
Recipe
This recipe is inspired by a dessert that I had on a recent mid-summer trip to London. I sat by myself at a restaurant and ordered the only cake on the menu, as I was positively craving cake at the time. What turned up was the most classically British dessert I could have hoped for – buttery, vanilla laden cake speckled with poppy seeds and caraway seeds, served warm with chantilly cream and strawberries. Mine is a wintry version, which tastes just as good.
FOR THE CAKE
200g (11⁄3 sticks) butter, softened
200g (7.1oz) caster sugar
4 free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g (1.8oz) buckwheat flour
Pinch sea salt
200g (7.1oz) ground almonds
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
3 tbsp caraway seeds
FOR THE ICING
1 cup crème fraîche
Zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE DECORATIONS
1 tsp caraway seeds
- Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F on fan bake. Line a 22cm / 9” tin with baking paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla.
- Gradually fold in the buckwheat flour, salt and ground almonds, taking care not to overmix. Finally, fold through the lemon zest and juice and the caraway seeds.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and spread out to the sides.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes. The cake is ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for around 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. Simply combine the crème fraîche with the lemon zest, icing sugar and vanilla.
- Neatly ice the top of the cake and decorate with a scattering of caraway seeds. Serve at room temperature.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.