Author Notes
When I think of Italian desserts, I think of anise--that seductive, licorice-y taste that's so under-rated, and often underused in American sweets. I wanted to create a moist, everyday cake that's easy to throw together, but is easy to "dress up" for company. This cake is topped with a delicious streusel that's flecked with a small amount of toasted pine nuts and rolled oats, and subtly perfumed with the zest of lemons, and the soft floral flavor of cardamom. A simple side of sour cherries, plumped with the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar, is the perfect accompaniment. I serve this cake with a generous dollop of creme fraiche, but you could also serve it with whipped cream, or vanilla ice-cream. —thecookbookchronicles
Ingredients
- For the cake
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2/3 cup
heavy cream
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3 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
-
1 1/2 cups
all purpose flour
-
3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
-
1 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1 teaspoon
ground cardamom
-
6 tablespoons
unsalted butter at room temperature
-
1 cup
granulated sugar
-
2
large eggs
-
2 teaspoons
anise extract
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zest of two lemons
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10 tablespoons
cold unsalted butter
-
3/4 cup
light brown sugar
-
1/2 cup
toasted pine nuts, chopped finely
-
1/2 cup
old fashioned rolled oats
-
1 1/2 cups
all purpose flour
-
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- For the balsamic cherry sauce
-
2 tablespoons
cornstarch
-
1 1/2 cups
water
-
3 cups
dried sour cherries
-
2/3 cup
granulated sugar
-
3 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
-
1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9?x9? square baking pan.
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In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and whipping cream. Let stand for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom. Set aside.
-
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until light in color, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, and continue beating for another minute, until creamy. Beat in the eggs and anise extract.
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On low speed, beat in about 1/3 of the flour mixture until almost combined. Then, beat in 1/2 the cream mixture. Repeat, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Spoon the batter into the baking pan in an even layer.
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Dice the cold unsalted butter into 1/2" cubes, and toss together with the, light brown sugar, toasted pine nuts, rolled oats, flour and salt. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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FOR THE SAUCE: In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Add the rest of the ingredients (including the remaining water) to a medium saucepan. Stir the sauce on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the cherries are plumped.
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Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and cook, stirring, for another 4-5 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
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TO SERVE: Serve the cherry sauce alongside each slice of cake, and top with a dollop of creme fraiche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice-cream.
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