Cardamom Pound Cake With Roasted Late Summer Fruit Food

LATE SUMMER PLUM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. (Alternatively, the cake may be made in a 9-inch cake pan or pie pan and served directly from the pan.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: the batter will be quite thick.)
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they mostly cover the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
• When the cake is hot out of the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan and then remove the springform edge, leaving the base in place (if using a springform pan). Let the cake cool on a rack completely. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
• Note: This cake keeps well, loosely covered at room temperature, for several days.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

MOM'S CURRANT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat. Stir in molasses. In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Stir in the cream mixture, then the currants. Add the dry ingredients and beat to combine.
• Pour into prepared pan, and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

CARDAMOM VANILLA POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in mixer at medium speed, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a paring knife into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon juice until combined well. At low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Gently rap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.
• Beat cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract using whisk attachment of mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve cake with whipped vanilla cream.

CARDAMOM POUND CAKE WITH ROASTED LATE-SUMMER FRUIT

Steps:

• Make the cakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Dust with all-purpose flour, and tap out excess.Whisk together flours, salt, cardamom, and baking soda.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Raise speed to high, and beat until smooth and glossy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt. Divide batter between pans. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen, and turn out cakes onto rack. Turn right side up, and let cool completely. (Cakes can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
• Roast the fruit: Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Combine granulated sugar and vanilla seeds. Add peaches, plums, and Grand Marnier, and toss. Arrange fruit (and vanilla pods, if desired) on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast, stirring halfway through, until fruit is juicy, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. Thickly slice cake, top with roasted fruit and juices, blackberries, and currants.

MOROCCAN ORANGE & CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Put the whole oranges in a pan, cover with water and boil, covered, for 1 hr until a knife easily pierces them. If the oranges won't stay under the water, place a small saucepan lid directly on top to keep them submerged. Remove the oranges from the water and cool, then quarter and remove any seeds and obvious pith where the stalk was. Blitz the oranges to a rough purée with a hand blender or in a food processor and put in a large bowl.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line the base and sides of a 21cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Beat the cardamom, xylitol and eggs into the orange purée, then mix the ground almonds with the polenta, flour and baking powder, and fold in until well blended. Scrape the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 mins.
• After 40 minutes, scatter over the almonds, quickly return to the oven and bake 20-25 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool. Serve sliced as a cake, or with Greek yogurt or cream as a dessert.

PLUM SKILLET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch ovenproof skillet(preferably cast-iron); dust with flour, tapping out excess.Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar with a mixeron medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg. Addflour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
• Pour batter into prepared skillet, and smooth topwith an offset spatula. Fan plums on top, and sprinkle withremaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until goldenbrown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes outclean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly.

SOUR-CREAM POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add vanilla; beat until well combined.
• With mixer on lowest speed, alternately add flour mixture and sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Tap pan on counter to let batter settle.
• Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake is golden brown, 75 to 85 minutes. Let cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a metal spatula around the inner and outer edges of pan. Then invert onto cooling rack, and cool completely.

CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180c fan.
• Grease and flour a 23cm round cake tin.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Add butter, egg, and milk and stir to a smooth batter.
• Pour batter into tin, smoothing the surface with a spatula.
• Bake in the lower half of the oven for approx 30 minutes.
• Let cool before removing from tin.

SHEET POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and line with parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in zest if desired, and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to medium, and beat in flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with milk.
• Spread batter into prepared sheet. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool in sheet on a wire rack.

CARDAMOM VANILLA POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in mixer at medium speed, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean with tip of paring knife into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon juice until combined well. At low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Gently rap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.
• For whipping cream: Beat cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract using whisk attachment of mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve cake with whipped vanilla cream.