Herb Cakes and Biscuits
Herbs are usually associated with savoury dishes but they produce
delicious and unusual results when added to baking and other sweet
foods.
Southernwood Cake
You can make this in a food processor, which is easier on the arm
muscles, but the texture is not as good.
150g plain flour
50g self-raising flour
5 teaspoons finely chopped southernwood (from the tips of the stems)
175g granulated sugar
150g softened butter
4 eggs
Sift the two flours into a mixing bowl, stir in the chopped southernwood
and sugar. Add the soft butter, in dollops, and the lightly mixed eggs
and, using a stout fork, start to gently mix and mash all together. Once
you have a rough mix, increase the pressure and beat as hard as you can
for one minute.
Pour the mixture into a lined 1lb loaf tin and bake in a 180C (350F, Gas
4) for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 170C (325F, Gas 3) and finish
baking for about 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Take care
that is does not burn: cover with greaseproof paper if it is browning
dangerously. The cake will split along the top and slightly erupt, like
a volcano. When done, take out of the loaf tin to cool on a wire rack
but wait to peel off the liner until it is cold.
You can also make this cake using tansy instead of southernwood; use
just 4 teaspoons of chopped tansy.
Sweet Cicely Cake
You can make this cake look really impressive by lining the bottom of
the cake tin with a sweet cicely leaf so that, when turned out, the cake
has the leaf embedded in the top. Use an 8” (20cm) deep round cake tin
or 2 sandwich tins.
175g self-raising flour
175g soft butter
175g granulated sugar
squeeze lemon juice
4 rounded teaspoons chopped sweet cicely leaves
3 eggs
First butter the cake tin/s. Choose an elegant sweet cicely leaf and
remove the thick stalks. Arrange the leaflets upside down on the
buttered tin.
To make the cake: beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add
the lemon juice and the sweet cicely and beat again. Beat in the eggs
one at a time and continue beating until the mixture goes soft and looks
like whipped cream; fold in the flour.
Pile into the tin/s, smooth the surface and bake in a 170C (325F, Gas3)
oven for 20 minutes if in 2 tins, 30-40 minutes if in one.
Butter Cream for sandwiching the two halves
together (you can split a single cake - carefully).
100g butter; 175g sieved icing sugar
2 heaped teaspoons green and soft sweet cicely seeds
Beat the butter until soft and gradually add in the icing sugar. Choose
soft, green sweet cicely seeds, they are deliciously aniseedy and really
sweet. Chop finely and beat into the icing. Use to sandwich the two
halves of the cake together, leaving the top with its embedded leaf on
show for all to admire.
Lavender Biscuits
Lavender flowers impart an unusual flavour to sweet dishes but they are
strong, so use sparingly.
275g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon lavender flowers
175g butter
125g sugar
1 egg 1 small glass vodka
Sieve the flour into a bowl, sprinkle in the lavender flowers to infuse.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg
followed by the vodka; then the flour and lavender, a spoonful at a
time. Leave the soft dough to rest for an hour.
Roll or pat out to pound coin thickness, cut into small rounds and lay
on a buttered baking tray. Sprinkle with extra sugar and bake in a 220C
(425F Gas 7) oven for 15-20 minutes.
Instead of lavender flowers you could use rosemary leaves, finely
chopped, or hyssop. These would be particularly good as an accompaniment
to fruit salad or ice cream.