Almond Saffron Cake Food

ALMOND CAKE WITH SAFFRON AND HONEY

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.

ALMOND SAFFRON CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or spray two 8-inch round cake pans. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and add the saffron and zest. Bring to a low simmer, and remove from heat; set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together 1 cup butter and almond paste until creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides. Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add saffron mixture, beating just until blended.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pans, and smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, and remove from pans. Serve warm, dusted with confectioners' sugar, or drizzled with orange juice mixed with 2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar.

SAFFRON AND TOASTED ALMOND ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine milk and half of the sugar in a large saucepan and heat gently.
• Place the almonds on a sheet pan and toast in the oven, shaking the pan occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until almonds are light brown.
• Add the almonds immediately to the milk and sugar mixture. Once the milk mixture comes to a gentle boil, remove from the heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place the milk mixture on low heat. While this is heating, combine the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and either by hand or with an electric mixer, whisk until the eggs become pale in color, about 3 minutes. Slowly drizzle a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to increase the temperature of the yolk mixture. Next, slowly whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes, remove from heat and strain through a find sieve into a high-sided canister. Add the saffron and amaretto and place in a large bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally and when completely cool, place in an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. The texture will then be best if you transfer the ice cream to another container and place in freezer for at least 3 hours or overnight.

SAFFRON POUND CAKE WITH LEMON CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Serving Suggestion: Cinnamon ice cream
• Make the Pound Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan and line it with parchment or waxed paper.
• In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice and saffron to a boil then turn the heat off immediately and let steep 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. With the mixer running at low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Working in alternating batches, and mixing after each addition, add the dry ingredients and 1/4 cup of the saffron spiked orange juice, trying to use all the threads in the orange juice. Mix just until smooth.
• Pour into the prepared pan and bake until raised in the center and a tester inserted into the center comes out dry and almost clean (a few crumbs are OK), 65 to 75 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining saffron spiked orange juice (about 1/3 cup), until the sugar is dissolved.
• When the cake is done, let cool in the pan 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan with sides (to catch the glaze) and turn the cake out onto the rack. Peel off the waxed paper. Using a turkey baster or pastry brush, spread glaze all over the top and sides of the cake and let soak in.
• Repeat until all the glaze is used up, including any glaze that has dripped through onto the sheet pan. Let cool at room temperature or, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.
• The cake will last up to a week, well-wrapped with plastic wrap.
• Make the Lemon Caramel Sauce: Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any sugar onto the walls. Do not stir; gently draw your finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring until amber-colored caramel, about 10 to 15 minutes, swirling the mixture occasionally to even out the color.
• Add the lemon juice and vanilla and wait for the caramel to bubble and subside. Let the caramel cool.
• To serve, cut the pound cake in thin slices and serve with scoops of cinnamon ice cream and a drizzling of lemon caramel sauce.

SAFFRON FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease a square cake pan, lining the bottom with greaseproof paper.
• In a pestle and mortar, grind the saffron with some of the sugar (you get the best yellow colour that way), alternatively, soak in 2tbsp of boiling hot water.
• Bring the dried fruit to the boil in a pan of water, once boiling point is reached, turn off the heat and drain the fruit well using a sieve. Return to the pan and add the butter until it has melted perhaps over a low heat if necessary.
• Add the saffron (including water if soaking method used) sugar and eggs and mix thoroughly then sift in the flour, salt and baking powder.
• Mix well but do not over work the mixture then pour into the cake pan.
• Bake for 30mins or until browned on top, then reduce heat to 160C/300F, cover with foil and bake for a further 20 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Now thats special.