There are only a few days a year when we get to be a completely different person. There’s Halloween, of course, and then there’s St. Patrick’s Day – when we are all Irish for a day. Unfortunately, the Irish are not known for their desserts. Most Irish desserts I know of are apple-based, bread/pudding-based, heavily rely on their great dairy, or borrowed from another European country (and served with alcohol). I knew there must be more, so I did a little research and found the following Irish recipe that I just had to try.
This cake caught my attention due to the strong flavor combination of cinnamon, caraway, and rose. Caraway is uncommon in American desserts, so I was truly surprised by how well it worked in this cake. It has a very delicate perfumed quality and the dense crust is somewhere between a quick bread and an angel food cake.
- 8 ounces butter
- 6 ounces powdered sugar
- teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- teaspoon rose or orange water
- 6 ounces milk
- 12 ounces cake flour
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Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale.
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Add the seasonings and blend thoroughly.
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Add the eggs and water flavoring.
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Finally, alternate mixing the milk and flour until a light batter is formed.
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Bake in a butter and floured pan at 375F until the cake is firm and dark in color.
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