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Seed cake is one of those traditional British cakes that never goes out of style.
Seed Cake Is Very British
Here’s another “food of my people” recipe! While lemon drizzle cake is a perennial favorite, seed cake isn’t too far behind.
OK now it’s dressed up and some other things are added to make the recipe more modern, but nothing beats the simplest version.
My mom was pretty old school and this was the seed cake she grew up with. I remember the first time she made it. I was prepared not to like it because I wasn’t fond of caraway seeds. Since she always insisted that. you try a food before arbitrarily dismissing it, I had no choice in the matter. And you know, there’s just something about a nice pound cake with caraway seeds in it. I really loved it and it’s been a favorite ever since.
Cake Isn’t Huge
This is a cake that will disappear with no leftovers. The fact that it is delicious is one of those things, but it’s a relatively small cake.
It was originally made in a 7-inch cake tin (affiliate link) which is a popular size in the UK. I have one of them and you can purchase them here but they are generally springform pans.
I chose to use a small, but standard size, loaf pan. That pan is 8 x 4-inches. This size will produce smaller, shorter slices. But at any rate, the cake is not a huge one. It doesn’t rise much either so if you make it, don’t think that it’s a failure–it’s not.
If You Love Caraway…
Then feel free to add more than the suggested amount.
My mom used to add more because her’s was loaded with them. I kept to a lower amount because it added great flavor but was not overwhelming.
The Recipe
Seed Cake
Ingredients
- 6 oz flour 1 1/3 cups
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tbs milk
Instructions
- Spray a small loaf pan (8 x 4 inch) or a 7-inch/18 cm round cake pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 400F/299C.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and add the caraway seed; set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until mixture is pale, then add the eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
- Stir in the flour mixture and add enough milk to get a dropping consistency (batter will be stiff, much like a pound cake).
- Spread in prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the enter comes out clean.
Nutrition
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