Coriander Ginger Cake Food

STAR ANISE AND CORIANDER SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric coffee/ spice grinder finely grind coriander seeds and star anise. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, ground spices, and remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat batter 3 minutes. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until cake pulls away slightly from side of pan, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and remove pan. Invert another rack onto cake and turn cake right side up. Cool cake completely.

CORIANDER GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the molasses, sugar and butter. Add the eggs, ginger root, spices and salt.
• Sift the flour with the baking soda three times. Add to the butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with the hot water. Stir in the raisins and nuts.
• Put the mixture into a well- greased mold with a capacity of five to six cups. Put the mold into a cast- iron Dutch oven with the lid on and cook over hot coals for about 20 minutes. Put hot coals from the fire on top of the lid and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Unmold the cake on a rack and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

ORANGE & CORIANDER DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• To make the cake, put the orange in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hr or until you can pierce the orange easily with a knife.
• Drain, leave to cool, then cut the orange into quarters. Cut each quarter in half so that you have 8 pieces, and remove any pips. Put 75g of the sugar in a small pan and add 100ml water and the orange pieces. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Allow the orange to cool slightly, then either blitz with a stick blender or liquidise to a pulp. Crush the coriander seeds using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder, then add to the warm orange pulp along with the polenta. Stir to combine, then leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Put the butter, flour, baking powder, eggs and the remaining 100g caster sugar in a large mixing bowl along with the cooled orange pulp. Mix until thoroughly blended using an electric hand mixer. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 35-45 mins or until springy to the touch - a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. The cake should be pale in colour and just leaving the sides of the tin. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare the decoration. Using a potato peeler, peel half the zest from the orange into large strips, then slice very thinly so that you have lots of orange zest shreds (like you would for marmalade). Put the caster sugar and 100ml water in a small saucepan set over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then add the orange shreds. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 mins until the shreds are quite soft. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside on a tray lined with baking parchment.
• When the cake has cooled, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Juice the orange and add enough of it to the icing sugar to make a runny icing. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake and scatter the orange shreds on top.