Seed Cake

I've never warmed to the name: Seed Cake. It conjures up images of something dry and tasteless, served at uncomfortable victorian tea-parties. This reality couldn't be more different. The cake is light and moist, and entirely delicious.

It's the time of year when I'm starting on the heavy-duty garden tasks - planting and transplanting and pruning and hacking back - and at 4.30 (ish) the char wallah approaches across the lawn with a tray bearing tea and a slice of cake. Often, Seed Cake. Of which the four-footed always begs a piece.

In general, it's perfection. 

And the four-footed agrees.

Ingredients:

For 1 x 20 cm circular cake.

225g butter; 170g sugar; 3 medium eggs; 225g flour; 2.5 tsp baking powder; half tsp turmeric; half tsp nutmeg; 2 tsp caraway seeds; 2 tbs brandy.

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Grease the cake tin, and line the base with greaseproof paper.

3. In the food-processor, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one by one. Combine the flour, baking powder, turmeric, caraway seeds and nutmeg in a bowl and add them altogether to the processor bowl and mix infor a couple of seconds. Finally, add the brandy while the machine is running.

4. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin, spreading to meet the edge of the tin.

5. Bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool in the tin for ten minutes or so, and then turn out onto a rack.